


Only The Fearless

by BathianKittlore



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: I just wanted to write something about a world I enjoy, Multi, Named Reader, No idea where I'm going with this story, POV Second Person, Reader Is Not Frisk, Will update these tags later I promise, i don't know how to tag stuff, nothing too dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:58:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 77,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7494759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BathianKittlore/pseuds/BathianKittlore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been seven years since your accident. Seven years since you lost part of your leg. Seven years since you had to relearn how to walk on your new prosthetic limb. You have tried your best to continue your career but it was no use.</p><p>You're enjoying a wonderful sunset at the base of Mt. Ebott, when a rapid flash of blue and purple catches your eye.</p><p>You're not going to let someone jump into a mountain, not when you have a chance to stop them!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Flash of Blue and Purple

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fan fiction story on this website. I'm really nervous about uploading this because I have no idea if people actually want to read something like this. Oh well, doesn't hurt to at least try, right?
> 
> The first couple of chapters are mainly set-up to get our main character into the Underground. I've left most of the character's description up to the reader themselves, but to make things flow better in my own head the reader is named. Sorry about that.
> 
> There are several ways this story can go, in terms of any romantic partners in the Underground. I wanted to post the first couple of chapters to get a feel for what YOU, the reader, want to see. I didn't want this to turn into another Sans/Reader type fic, but if that's what people want...?
> 
> Anywho, enjoy the show!

How long has it been since you've sat down to enjoy a beautiful sunset on a Saturday? Close to seven years, you guess. After the accident that took part of your left leg, you had spent all of your free time learning to walk with a prosthetic limb in the hopes you could salvage your career as a fighter. It didn't work out in the end. A short, bitter farewell to a workplace you loved, and here you sat, staring at the slowly sinking ball of fire. You had decided to rent a cabin for a few days, to get away from everything. From the pain, from the people, from your own personal hell. For these next few moments, you were content.

At least, you thought you would be, until you noticed a flash of blue and purple dash along the path next to your house towards one of the unmarked trails that lead up the mountain. You're up and on your feet before you know it, quickly hobbling your way towards that same trail. People didn't climb this mountain, not for good reasons. The village you had passed through called it a death trap, a popular place for young souls to disappear from the face of the earth. You couldn't let that happen, not when you were there to stop it from happening.

The flash of blue and purple, as it turns out, was a child. No older than twelve, with several scratches and bruises on their face and arms. Their doe-brown eyes shined bright with... something. Determination, you mentally tell yourself. But determined to do what? You shouted for the kid to stop, but they refused. They were going to climb this mountain, and it was going to be their death at this rate. You were starting to look rather beat up as well, your forehead having received a rather nasty looking gash from a low hanging branch four minutes ago. You were thankful for your healthy living as a trained athlete, but you weren't much of a sprinter.

The kid finally stopped in front of what appeared to be a cave entrance, staring up at the massive stone pillars that ringed around the room. The strange emblems on them almost resembling an angel. What could this place be, you ponder for a brief moment, before your attention was drawn to the kid. They were slowly brushing their tanned fingers through dark brown hair, gazing at the massive crater in the center of the room, the black void almost calling to the pair.

“Kid,” you begin, panting softly as you tried to catch your own breath. “What the hell are you doing up here? This place isn't safe, your family is probably worried sick about ya. Come on, let me take you back down the mountain. I have a cabin near the base of it, and I'm sure I can get cell reception so we can call your parents.”

The child slowly turned, tears in their eyes, their lips quivering. “Don't you have anything better to do? Leave me alone.” They didn't shout at you, didn't scream. They were sad, but determined. They took one step backwards. Then another. Horror filled your soul as you scrambled to grab them, to pull them away from the hole before they tripped. It wasn't enough. You stumbled on your false limb, crashing hard on your jaw, a perfect view as the young child fell backwards down the hole.

“NO!” you shout, scrambling towards the pit of despair, fists pounding roughly in the earthy ground. “Damn it all!” You weren't thinking straight. How could you, after watching a young child jump to their death?

Without a second thought, you pushed yourself up onto your feet, rushed back down to the cabin, and started to pack your things.

You were going to save this child.  
You were filled with BRAVERY.

* * *

Backpack full of clothes, food, and several other supplies slung over your shoulders, and a small duffle bag filled with even more clothes and supplies were all you needed before you made your way back up to the crater room. Before you took the plunge, you pulled out your phone, snapping a picture of the strange pillars and emblems before sending them to one of your friends. You also left a brief message, telling them not to panic about you disappearing. That you'd be alright.

You wished that you could believe your own words to yourself.

Taking one last breath, you began tying the massive rope to one of the massive pillars, tossing the other end down the hole. You were going to take the climb nice and slow. You knew what you were doing. You were always safe. It didn't matter that you were carrying almost all of your possessions on your back as you climbed. It didn't matter that no one ever came back from this cursed mountain.

You were going to save a child, you were too damn BRAVE to give up on them. It didn't matter that they had probably died from the fall. You didn't care. You were going to drag that body out of the mountain if necessary.

All well and good, until the column that held your rope suddenly crumbled to dust, leaving you to plummet into the abyss below. You closed your eyes, waiting for the rough impact. Waiting for the sudden spike of pain.

But it never came.

Instead, you were greeted by the soft caress of yellow flower petals and dirt. This made you open your eyes, watching carefully as the rope tumbled slowly down, pooling next to your arm. The rope had been long enough, it seems, even if the entrance of the hole seemed so far away from you. With a sigh, you sat up, checking to see if your bags were still alright. Once everything was sorted through, you stood up and examined the rest of the room. More columns, more angel emblems. Purple stone walls.

This looked like some sort of ruins.

And there was no body anywhere in sight. The child was alive somewhere in this mountain ruin. And you were going to have to find them. You're stupidity got you into this mess, your damn leg giving out on you when you tried to save them got you into this mess.

You were going to fix this. You were going to save them.  
Even if it was the last thing you ever did.


	2. My Name Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your attempts to be a hero has gotten you trapped inside of the mountain itself. With no Kid in sight, it's time to push forward into the cavern.
> 
> Why does this flower have a face?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are, posting two chapters in one day, mainly because I wanted to at least get this out there before I continue to write the rest of the fic. We finally get a name for our reader! We also see the first (potential) pairing for our wonderful reader. I know, it's a little strange, but Toriel doesn't really get a lot of love outside of Asgore or Sans. If people don't want it and have a convincing alternative, let me know!

After a few minutes scoping out the place, you notice a lone corridor off to the side, with a rather impressive archway at the end. You shrug your shoulders, readjust your fake limb, and move towards it. You can't hear anything, not even the sound of wind pouring into the hole as you round the corner. This room is dark, with a single 'spotlight' fixated on a tiny patch of green grass. In the center of the patch was a single golden flower.

A golden flower with a bright, smiling face. You knew you were in trouble the moment it's empty eyes met your own.

“Howdy!” the flower calls out, inadvertently revealing rather large fangs as it spoke. “I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower! Golly, two humans in one day? It must be pretty depressing up there today for you to take a stumble into the Underground, huh?” That freaking flower was laughing so sweetly, too sweet. Too forced.

“Actually, I'm here to make sure that kid isn't dead. He's up ahead I take it? Well if you'll excuse me,” you spoke, trying to pass around the flower on its right. You don't notice the green vine wrapping around your false limb until it gave a frustrated growl. Your movements were stopped, but the sharp thorns weren't puncturing skin. You quickly deliver a stomp with your real leg, cutting the vine clean before dashing to the other side of the room as quickly as possible. That damn flower was trying to kill you!

“Hey! GET BACK HERE!” Flowey shouts, dropping his act to show his real nature, little white flecks of light and more green vines shooting out from around the tiny plant in an attempt to stop you. Several of those white flecks dig into your lower back and your legs, but you keep running. You've taken worse beatings in your matches, you can handle a few strange lights that seared into your flesh like hot steel fresh from the forge. Hurling yourself through the next archway, you nearly run head-first into a massive purple object. The door behind you shuts quickly, as the purple object kneels down next to you.

No, not an object, a person. The purple is a dress of some kind. A dress or a robe. The emblem from earlier sewn in beautifully on the front. Your head arches up further, your eyes growing wide at just how large this person was. Then you saw their face. It wasn't human at all. It was...

It was some sort of monster.

The first thing you noticed was it's eyes. Her eyes were a deep purple-red, the colors subtly shifting around as if they were actually flames. Her fur was a pure snow-white, with tiny ivory horns poking out from the top of her head. Long, floppy ears framed her entire head, the fur of them looking so soft. Soft enough that you had to fight down the urge to reach up and touch them. Her mouth bore little fangs on the top half of her snout, showing a more 'monstrous' side of the otherwise innocent looking creature. The fur clearly trailed down across her whole body, her hands and feet evidence to this.

All of these observations, however, were quickly forgotten when she spoke. Her voice was rich and soft. Regal, but approachable. Your heart skipped a few beats as she smiled down at you, her hand resting on your cheek.

“Hello my child,” she said, trying her best to comfort you. Your heart kept fluttering. What was happening to you? You've never felt like this before. You blush when you feel her hand moving down to your back, her soft gasp bringing you back out of your stupor. “Oh dear, you were attacked as well? Was it that terrible creature in the other room? I am going to have a stern talking to when that flower shows itself once more. Here, let me heal you.”

The soft green glow in the palms of her hands (claws?) was rather soothing. The cuts and burns from the white pellets went away almost instantly. When she reached down to your false limb, however, she frowned. She couldn't feel anything there. Her worried expression finally forced you to speak, your own voice a lot softer, trying to keep your composure around this woman that you found yourself having a crush on.

“Oh, uh... my leg is fine. It's not real,” you say, flashing a tired smile as you rolled the leg of your jeans up, revealing the plastic limb. The cut off was just above your knee, the separation between real and fake. You undo a few straps, pulling off the damaged limb. “See? This is where it grabbed me. It's why it got so upset. The vines had thorns in them, and he was more than likely wanting to stop me from finding the kid that fell down here. Shit, the kid!” Without another thought, you quickly retied your limb and rolled down your pant leg, rapidly standing up. “I'm sorry, I need to find the kid. It's my fault they fell, I couldn't catch up to them, shit I sh--”

“Calm down!” the woman said, practically laughing at the sudden urgency in your voice, resting a hand calmly on your shoulder. “The child is safe. I've taken them to my home to rest for the time being. Let me guide you to there. Your physical wounds have healed, but it will take some time to repair the damage your Soul took during that attack.”

This causes your brow to raise, slowly looking up at the woman. “My soul? What does the afterlife have to do with any of this?”

She giggled, GIGGLED, like schoolgirl at this question. “Oh no no! A Soul has nothing to do with the afterlife. A Soul is the culmination of your entire being. All of your hopes, your dreams, your fears. Everything you are, condensed down into a single ball of magic. Or, I guess, a single heart of magic.” She smiles, taking one of the bags you still carried into her arms. “Come, friend. Let us meet up with your child.”

You blush hard at this, quickly waving your arms. “Uh no, they aren't my kid. I just saw them run past my cabin when I was watching the sunset. I was chasing after them, and when I finally caught up, they were standing in front of the massive pit in the mountain. They looked so... done. Empty almost. They had clearly been crying the entire sprint, and I tried so hard to stop them from jumping. I tripped on a stupid vine, and then tumbled backwards. Hence the bags...I ran back down to my cabin, fetched what supplies I had, and came back to the hole. I tied a rope to one of the columns up there, but I guess it wasn't sturdy enough.”

The woman smiled a little as she listened, nodding her head. She knew the child was hurting on the inside, although they never opened up as to why. She hoped that they would open up after a nice rest and a slice of her wonderful pie, but first, she had to figure out why this brave soul was so injured. Then, she realized something.

“Oh dear, I almost completely forgot! I haven't even introduced myself!” She suddenly moves in front of you, halting your progress at the top of the small stairway that led to the next room. “My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.”

She had a name, you thought to yourself. Such a beautiful name. Your heart fluttered even more this time, beads of sweat coating your brow.

“My name is Quinn.”


	3. Flirting With Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel's healed your wounds from Flowey, and is now trying to teach you the ways of the Underground. Including how to ACT towards monsters. Who know that ACT -> Flirt was the way to go in almost every situation ever?
> 
> Things also take a slight turn when you decide to ask about the King of Monsters...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter three! Holy cow people are actually reading this? Or at least taking a peak at it? I got my first Kudo from a random stranger! That's pretty neat I guess!
> 
> I've decided to update the Relationship tag to Toriel/Reader, because honestly? That's the way I want this fic to go. If people want to read someone else interacting with Quinn, lemme know! I might do some one-offs!

Toriel's Ruins were beautiful. The rich purple stones, the red leaves, the massive gray spikes. Well, maybe not the spikes. As it turns out, you and the kid were not the first humans to fall down into the Underground, the kingdom (and prison) of all Monster-kind. While most of the humans that had fallen down here had been rather nice, there were a couple of rotten eggs in the bunch. Due to this, Toriel had constructed puzzles as a way to deter humans long enough for her to teach them how to properly handle encounters with other monsters.

This included you, of course.

You were standing in front of a training dummy, asked to simply talk to it as if it were a monster. You rolled your eyes and flashed your widest smile, pointing finger guns at the dummy before throwing the cheesiest pick-up line you could think up. Toriel must have found the act funny, because she nearly fell over backwards from her laughter. You were so proud of yourself with that, turning your 'guns' on the goat woman, a twinkle in your eyes.

“Oh I didn't forget about you, gorgeous,” you said, still using your somewhat goofy pick-up line voice and wiggling your eyebrows suggestively. “You've GOAT to be the greatest woman I've ever seen.” You stop yourself from going any further with your joking ways, hoping to whoever was in charge of the universe that day to spare you from too much embarrassment.

Toriel, however, was frozen from your words. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, gazing into your eyes. “Did... did you actually just flirt with me and make a pun at the same time?” Your hands slowly dropped, face shifting from flirtatious to worried in a flash. Blood filled your cheeks as you quickly averted your gaze, idly rubbing the back of your neck.

“Sorry Toriel,” you say, your soul shuddering with guilt. “I should have kept that to myself. That was very rude, you're not a goat, not really. You're a monster. A beautiful monster with a beautiful smile and a beautiful laugh and I'm just a dumb human who can't keep his mouth shut.” You have more words to say, more groveling to do to earn her forgiveness, but she cuts you off by wrapping her arms around you, squeezing you to her chest.

“It is alright, my friend! It has been a very long time since anyone has attempted to flirt with me. Well, other than the child who just fell down here. They had a rather similar line to your own, but I could not take it seriously. I mean, why would someone so young find me attractive? But you, on the other hand... You're different. It's been a very long time since an adult has actually thought I was pretty.”

That nearly broke your heart. You quickly wrap your arms around the woman, face still buried in the motherly monster's chest, still blushing hard. “And why is that, Toriel? Are the ruins really that empty?” The soft sigh that left her throat made you pull away, giving the woman the space she needed.

“There was only one monster in this kingdom that ever had eyes on me, dear. And he betrayed my trust when he re-declared war on humans. I have already decided that it is too late to rekindle that relationship, but because of my isolation from the rest of the Underground, there is no real way to meet new Souls. The closest thing I have is a friend on the other side of the door that leads to the forests of Snowdin.” You nod your head slowly, listening to her beautiful voice. Slowly you slipped a hand around her in a gentle embrace, smiling up at the slightly taller woman as you lean on your good leg for a moment, letting your stump relax. You'd need to find a way to fix up your prosthetic thanks to that demon flower, and you were not looking forward to that.

“Well, now you have two people to talk to and take care of, you know?” You smile, flashing your pearly whites. The monster returned with a smile of her own, revealing that she indeed had rather sharp teeth on the inside of her mouth. “Why thank you, Quinn! And yes, it will be nice to have a child to raise once more. And someone older to have more... meaningful conversation with.” The warmth in your very soul was so bright, it felt like it wanted out of his chest. Toriel must have noticed this, because she quickly pulled you down the corridor and towards the next puzzle. One filled with seven foot tall spikes. These things were taller than Toriel!

“Um, Tori?” you tried to say with a straight, unwavering tone. Of course, you failed miserably at this. “Why is this room filled with nothing but massive deadly spikes? Why is this here? I thought you said that children came through this place!”

The woman gave a patient smile before waving her paw in front of the first set of spikes, watching it slowly sank into the grated floor panels below. “It's very easy to walk through this path, actually. All you need to do is remember the path in the western room. If you're not really in the mood to remember that, you can also look at the spikes themselves. The ones that go into the ground are a much brighter shade of silver than the ones that don't move. See?”

Toriel was right, after all. The spikes that didn't move were much too dull in comparison to the true path. “So this is just here to scare the kids?” you asked, your voice finally returning to its former strength.

“That would be correct, Quinn. If I had run into the children before this room, I would simply walk them across the pathway by holding their hand, like what I ended up doing with the child. There was one child who was able to brave the spikes and made it past, but I quickly found them in the next hallway. I much rather spend time with the child, holding their hand, reassuring them that I was safe, that I would protect them from anything. From simply ghastly flowers to Asgore himself.”

You cocked a brow at the name. Who was this the person? She didn't seem to like them very much? You pressed, hoping to get some sort of answer. “Who's Asgore?”

The nails of Toriel's claw like hand actually dug into the back of your own hand when the question left your lips, causing you to try and pull away from the sudden tight grip. “Hey, hey I'm sorry!” you start to say before you're cut off by the goat monster.

“Asgore is my former husband. The current King of the underground. The man who declared war on humanity to resume after the death of our children. Our son and our daughter.”

* * *

 

Toriel's tale of her two children, both by blood and by chance, was a rather tragic one to say the least. Asriel, their son, was by all accounts a happy, if somewhat shy child, born into a family of royalty, and as such, of isolation from the rest of Monster-kind. He was tutored at home by his mother, trained to wield his magic by his father, and treated as an untouchable object, something to admire from a distance. They didn't exactly have a chance to make any friends their age, and Toriel and Asgore didn't see fit to try and have a second child, not right then and there, anyway.

One faithful day, however, when the Prince had snuck out of his room to explore the ruins, he discovered a human child laying face first on the cold dirt. They rushed to them, healing them as best they could, before guiding them back to the castle. The young girl didn't speak the entire journey, silently terrified of the creature currently holding her arm, practically carrying her like she was a simple rag doll.

Asriel's eyes practically glowed with joy when they finally arrived at their home, sitting the human girl down before rushing off to find his mother and father. The human, Chara, didn't know how to feel. These were monsters, creatures she had been told to fear and loath with all of her heart. Creatures her distant ancestors had locked away in this mountain. She had been thrown down into this hell by people who wanted her dead.

Why was this small creature being so nice to her? She couldn't understand.

When Asriel returned with her parents, Chara was already passed out in the chair, too exhausted from her injuries and from traveling across the entire Underground in a matter of an hour. Toriel and Asgore quickly tended to the human, quickly setting up a second bed for them in their son's room.

Asriel finally had a sibling of their own. Someone to talk to, someone to play with, someone who wouldn't treat him like some object. Someone that would love him for him, and not his title.

Days turned into weeks.  
Weeks turned into months.  
Months turned into three years.

Three years of living underground, and Chara was starting to grow angry. Angry at the humans who lived on the surface, care free and 'happy', while her family of Monsters were trapped in the Underground with no sun or stars to keep them company. On that day, three years after falling down the rabbit hole, Chara was done. She had lost all hope for herself. She knew that there was a way for her brother to cross the barrier, and it would be so easy. Just hand her soul over to him, let him absorb it, and walk through the barrier.

Asriel accepted the challenge with only a few tears running down his snout.

* * *

 

You sat there in complete shock when Toriel's story came to an end. You didn't know what to say. You couldn't think of any words to comfort her. So you did the one thing you could think of. You wrapped your arms around the taller woman, squeezing her to your chest, leaning up to whisper into one of those long, floppy ears. "I'm here, Toriel. I'm here now. Give me a chance to help... I'll do whatever it takes to see you smile bright, to put those dark memories to rest."

You weren't exactly a poet, but Toriel didn't seem to care. She let out a small sob as she smiled, brushing her muzzle lightly against your head. "Thank you, Quinn. It's been so long since I've shared my pain with anyone. But don't worry so much about an old woman like me, alright? I'm sure there are plenty of younger Monsters down here, and even quite a few humans on the surface you would rather spend time with, yes?"

You roll your eyes at this, resting a hand on the soft fur on the side of her face. "Trust me, Tori. I wasn't lying when I said you were beautiful. I can feel something stirring, deep down in my soul whenever I'm near you. But I'm going to do this the right way, okay? You shared something big about yourself, and I'm going to share something big about me, once we get to your home, alright? I'd rather not do it in the middle of a massive maze of spikes. Doesn't strike me as very safe."

The Monster nodded, smiling brightly as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "Very well then. Up ahead is a bowl of candy, you can take one if you'd like, it'll help with any lingering pain you must be feeling from the previous attack. Come along, it's not that far now."

You really hope the candy doesn't taste like licorice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I said to myself I wasn't going to bring Chara into the story but I guess I'm gonna have to do it, huh? Don't worry, we're not going to go full Murder Child in this fic. I do love how people handle Frisk's "possession" but that's just now how this story is going to go. This timeline is (hopefully) going to be unique. Good, happy times for all, except for this backstory nonsense. Fair enough? I hope so.


	4. A Sloberknocker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at Quinn's past as a fighter, prior to his injuries. What type of man were you? What was your discipline? Let's find out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the first Flashback chapter! This was supposed to go up on Tuesday but I decided SCREW IT! I wanna thank the 70+ people who have at least clicked on the story so far, you are all amazing. I know this isn't the most interesting story on here, but it makes me feel all fuzzy inside that you actually wanted to click on something so dumb~
> 
> Enjoy your flashback chapter!

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for your MAIN EVENT!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening for you. The butterflies in your stomach were going nuts as the ring announcer ran through the rules of the contest that laid before them. A thirty-man over-the-top-rope Brawl. The Baron's Brawl, to be specific. One of the most important matches on the professional wrestling circuit for the All Canadian Pro Wrestling Alliance, or the ACPWA for short.

Most people would have scoffed at the idea of you, a former Olympian in judo and kickboxing, would be involved in professional wrestling, but you didn't exactly care about other people's opinions of your life choices. You respected the men and women who went out there to perform, each and every night, and you decided to join their ranks once you came back to your native land with two shiny gold medals around your neck. The training had been rather quick and painless, seeing as you were still in tip top shape from the previous Games.

You chuckled a little to yourself, wondering just how the crowd was going to react when you exited from the curtain. You were going to have to wait, of course. You were entrant number seventeen, so you had quite a bit of time to kill before your music started.

You took a glance around the room, watching each of the competitors do last minute stretches and gear checks. So many colorful and dramatic characters in the room, and here you were, wearing a simple black and silver singlet. The company had attempted to force you into a Canadian flag patterned pair of tights, but you reminded them that it wouldn't be right to infringe on another promotion's gimmicks, even if that particular wrestler was no longer with that rival company.

Over the next twenty or so minutes, name after name walked out of the room and down the ramp towards the rather crowded ring. When it was finally time for your entrance to be made, you hopped up to the curtain, ready to pull it back. The butterflies instantly died away as your soul hummed with BRAVERY. You were about to put on the best show of your life.

The buzzer sounds as the clock reaches zero. The wrestlers pause, waiting for the music to start so they can give an appropriate response.

It's show time.

Your entrance music started, softly at first, but growing louder and louder with each note until a small burst of pyrotechnics flash near the curtain. You push it away, revealing yourself to the sold out crowd. The screams of the fans was all you needed to get through your first appearance. You flash a massive grin as you nod your head to the music, checking your elbow pads one last time before sliding into the ring.

The Canadian Wolf has arrived.

* * *

Another thirty minutes, and the Brawl was down to its final two competitors. You were now having to go toe-to-toe with one of the best technical wrestlers in the form of Viktor Hannah. Viktor was roughly your size, but about twenty pounds heavier than you. His dyed blond hair, wet with sweat from having worked his way to this moment from the number four slot, flowed in waves down to his shoulders. You were always envious of guys with longer hair. You never seemed to have any luck with it, having lost most of your own hair at the ripe early age of twenty-two. His bright blue eyes were a little dull at the moment from how tired he was, not that your own green eyes weren't any different.

A referee quickly slid under the bottom rope, pushing us both to separate corners of the ring, allowing us a chance to breath. The final two individuals of the Brawl were forced to compete in a standard one on one match, as opposed to the Brawl setting before. This was more interesting for the crowd in the long run, but holy shit did it make it rough if you were one of the earlier competitors in the match. The crowd were on the edge of their seats, dueling chats for both wrestlers making my soul swell with pride. I am being accepted by the crowd in the best way possible, you thought to yourself. And I am not going to disappoint them now!

The bell rang, and your arms instantly were up in a fighting stance, rapidly approaching Viktor. Collar and elbow tie-up, followed by a quick headlock by the more experienced man, his soft whisper of the voice masked by that shoulder length hair.

"Keep it simple Quinn," he instructed, wrenching your head a little as you took a couple steps backwards, towards the rope. "Just like we practiced."

You launched the blond forward with your right arm, watching him dash a few steps forward towards the ropes before you quickly lay down flat on the ground. It was a pretty standard start to any wrestling match. Toss to the ropes, duck down, get back up, shoulder tackle to knock down your opponent. A smile flashes across your eyes as you looked down at the fallen man, dashing towards the ropes yourself as you fall into the next series of moves. Soon you were flat on your back, shoulders pinned to the mat by Viktor.

The ref didn't even get a one count before you rolled your shoulder up, earning a swift jab to the skull as punishment. Viktor takes control of the match from here, unleashing all of his signature moves as the crowd cheers on. However, as planned beforehand, Viktor grows more and more angry and frustrated by your resiliency. The crowd, sensing a shift in character, began to chant for you to make a comeback.

And come back you did. Suddenly you were on him, swift kicks to the stomach, fierce strikes with your elbows, even a stray headbutt that busted the top of both of your heads open. A little bit of blood never really hurt anyone, and it'd be easy to close up the wound once you were both in the back. After a quick two count from the ref, Viktor signaled for us to wrap up our contest.

The finishing sequence was one of beauty. Viktor attempted to fight his way back into the match, but before he could even try and muster any sort of offense, your foot shot up, connecting with his jaw with a sick sounding thump. Laying down perfectly in the middle of the ring, you quickly move to the corner of the ring, climbing up the turnbuckles to stand on the top.

The moment of truth, you thought to yourself, staring at the prone man across from you. BRAVERY filled you once more as you bent your knees...

Leaping forward with the grace of a shooting star, flipping over backwards while still maintaining your forward momentum, crash landing on top of Viktor. You cover him, hooking his outer leg as the referee counts the pinfall.

You had done it, you had won your first match in your new career. You were the Baron Brawl champion for this year. You would be competing in the next event for the championship, and you couldn't help but smile to yourself.

It was a shame really. This would be your only real chance to shine in this place.

A shooting star, snatched up by a black hole known as Fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weren't expecting his career as a fighter to involve pro wrestling now did ya! I'll be the first to admit that this seems rather cheesy, but think about it. Quinn obviously has a flair for the dramatic thanks to his interactions with the Dummy and Toriel last chapter, and he didn't exactly have much to do after winning multiple medals in the Olympic games.
> 
> Fate obviously had something else in mind for our dear Quinn, however, and NEXT chapter, we find out what that is. Over some tea and butterscotch-cinnamon pie with Tori and Frisk, of course!
> 
> Who's excited for pie and sad times?! I know I'm not. I should go to sleep, it's nearly one in the morning...


	5. A Cup of Tea and a Slice of Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your walk through the rest of the Ruins was mostly peaceful, but you were starting to get rather hungry. Queue everyone's favorite Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie! You also reveal more about your past. About the horrible injury that took your leg away from you.
> 
> How will Toriel respond to your anguish?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are folks, chapter five. I wanna say thank you to everyone who's given the story a chance so far, both the BRAVE ones who left a Kudo, and those who simply took a peak into my weird little world. Don't worry, we're going to be seeing the rest of the underground pretty soon, but this IS a story about Toriel and Quinn. Gotta give the goatmom some love. But not any LOVE. Please not any LOVE.
> 
> Don't be shy about leaving comments, by the way! I wanna hear what you guys think. I want to know what you guys would like to see in the story. Gimme prompts! I might just make a small spin-off story for some of them! Enjoy your chapter!
> 
> <3

All of the puzzles on the path from here on out were related to pitfalls and red leaves. You were thankful that Toriel had hidden away several switches to simply lower the blockades, especially with your prosthetic in the shape it was in. Along the route, you ran into your first set of monsters. Whimsuns and Froggits were rather easy to talk to, and Moldsmals just wanted someone to give them some loving in the form of a little wiggle (you were too ashamed with your poor attempt to twerk, especially after Toriel laughed at you for it). The various Loox you came across were rather intimidated by you due to your size, but you quickly calmed them down with wordplay and a couple goofy faces. The Vegetoids and Migosps didn't even bother to approach once they saw how you were treating the other monsters, instead flashing wide grins and showing off rather impressive dance moves.

Of course, there was one last monster on the path to Toriel's house, and it was a very sad ghost named Napstablook.

"Oh, hello there Napstablook," Toriel said, kneeling down next to the ghost who was pretending to sleep. "I know you're just wanting some alone time, but my human friend and I need to pass through. Is that alright? May we pass through?"

Napstablook slowly sat up the upper portion of his body, looking at the goat monster for a brief moment before speaking. "Oh... I'm in the way... aren't I?... Oh no... Let me just..." The ghost slowly started to fade away before you could reach out to stop him.

"Wait, wait, it's alright, you don't have to leave. Here, let's just scoot around the sides and--" You were cut off by the ghost suddenly rising to it's full height, tears flowing down his face as he initiated your very first Fight with a monster. Color drained from your vision, the room itself going dark, leaving just you and the very scared ghost. A tug on your chest caused you a little discomfort. You felt uneasy at the strange glow in front of you, your cheeks growing hot when you realize just what Napstablook had done.

Your Soul was in front of you. A bright sun of magical energy, crackling with power. It was shaped roughly like a heart, but the edges bounced around wildly, like a candle's flame being disturbed by a small gust of wind. Even with all of the other colors drained away, you were still able to see the color of your own Soul.

It was not orange. Your primary trait wasn't Bravery, like you had assumed it was, based on Toriel's tiny rundown of colors. Your Soul wasn't like the Sun.  
Your Soul was like the Moon. A bright silver, flecked with orange and yellow and a sprinkle of dark blue, but it was no denying that your main color was silver.

Toriel covered her mouth with her paw in shock at the display, opening her mouth to tell the ghost to stop the Fight, but you stopped her before she could say anything. You gave the ghost a gentle smile and a wave. "No big deal, Tori. He just got startled by my sudden movements. Really, it's no biggie, right?" You could see the ghost's expression shift, the Fight over faster than it had began, your Soul slowly sinking back into your chest.

"I'm so sorry... The only human I've ever met was that kid... but they were nice too... they even liked my hat... oh no, I'm still in your way... oh no... I should just go... oh no..."  
And with that, the ghost known as Napstablook faded away, leaving you and the goat monster completely and utterly confused.

But hey, at least there was a spider bake sale in the next room! You just hoped that there weren't actual spiders in it. That'd be a little strange.

* * *

 

With a great sigh of relief you finally rounded the last corner of the Ruins, finding yourself in front of a massive tree, all of its red leaves having fallen off a while ago. At first the tree looked dead, but a quick inspection said otherwise. It was just leafless, and would probably be like that for a while. Odd, seeing as it was mid May at this point, but you didn't dare question this place and it's magical nature. Toriel seemed happy to be home as well, taking your hand in her own as she guided you inside the beautiful house behind the tree.

The house itself was spotless, completely devoid of any dirt or dust. The goat monster's smile was bright as she guided you towards the living room area to the left of the entryway. A massive reading chair sat next to the fireplace, the embers themselves resembling Toriel's eyes rather than natural yellow-orange flames from the surface. You were mesmerized by this, reaching out slowly to the flames themselves, raising a brow at how safe the fire was. You weren't burning. It felt rather pleasant actually, like the sun on a cooler autumn day.

"This is amazing! I knew you were magical but I didn't realize you meant you could use fire magic! That's so cool!" You couldn't contain yourself, you felt like a little kid again, sitting down at the fireplace, gazing up at the beautiful creature. "What other kinds of magic can you do? What about other monsters down here?"

"Oh my, I knew the Child would be a very curious individual, but it seems now I have two children to take care of!" she said playfully, sitting down in her chair for a moment as she gazed at the fireplace. "My specialty is fire, but I am also well versed in healing magic. It came in handy when raising Asriel and Chara. As well as the others who fell down here before you. It's still not easy to watch them leave this place, though."

This gave you some pause. "What do you mean, leave? Are you saying that there were other kids who fell down here? I never heard anything about that."

"That's because the last child to fall down here was about... oh, I think one hundred and thirteen years ago or so. The process is rather slow, but my bastard of a husband refuses to just go to the surface and claim souls from the humans in a more controlled fashion." Toriel's eyes blazed with fury as she spoke of her former husband, sending a chill down your spine. "He could have easily left with the first child's soul, gathered six more from the humans, either peacefully or by force, and then used that power to shatter the barrier forever. Instead, he's sat on his throne of flowers and thorns, waiting for over a millennia for seven pour, unfortunate Souls to stumble upon an entryway into our home here under the mountain. After the first child fell, I told myself that I could not let him handle things this way. I moved back here, into the ruins, isolating myself so I could stop anyone else from being murdered by Asgore or the Royal Guard that serve him. I have failed every single time. Some would leave in the middle of the night as I slept. Some would beg and plead to let them leave. I had one child even attack me so badly I almost faded to dust! But it always ended the same way. It was always never enough. They would all be claimed by Asgore."

You were on your feet and wrapping your friend in a tight embrace in a heartbeat, pressing her face to your chest, letting her listen to the sounds of his body as you attempt to comfort her. "Relax, Tori. Relax. I'm here now. I'll always be here for you, okay? I'll make sure the kid stays safe. In fact, let me go check on them right now while you make some food and tea, okay?" You smiles, placing a small kiss on the top of her head, between her horns, watching as the fur of her cheeks turned a soft pink as she blushed. "First door on the left, yes?" you ask, getting a small nod as a response. Your arms finally pulled away from the motherly goat woman, patting her shoulder a few times before making your way towards the bedrooms and bathroom. When you reach the door you pause for a brief moment, taking in a deep breath before pushing the door open slowly.

The first thing you notice is that the kid is asleep in the bed, laying on top of the sheets on their back. They must have fallen asleep almost immediately, because they were still wearing their dirty shoes. The cuts and bruises were all cleaned up and covered with even more bandages, breathing a small sigh of relief at the kid's condition. You quietly enter the room, taking note of everything inside. Toys lining the wall next to the bed, a small closet, possibly filled with clothes to fit any age group. A dusty photo frame and a box of shoes in various sizes near a lamp that served as the room's light source. Cute little drawings of flowers covering the wall next to the door you had come in from. A perfect room for a child.

You wish you had a room like this growing up.

You quickly shake your head, moving towards the side of the bed, laying a hand on the kid's arm. Their eyes burst open at the sudden contact, letting out a startled yelp before you could pull your hand away. "Woah, hold on kid," you say, trying to calm them down. "Take it easy, you're fine... It's just me, the idiot who let you take a tumble into a massive hole."

The poor kid's eyes were the size of hot plates when they recognized you, sitting up and brushing their fingers along your forehead, inspecting the cut. "What are you doing here, Mister?" they asked, their voice barely above a whisper.

"Did you honestly think I was going to let you take a tumble and not come falling after ya? I was worried sick about you, even more so after that flower attacked m--"

The kid's cut you off, squeezing your arm as they looked at you more closely. "Flowey attacked you?! Are you okay? Was it the friendliness pellets?"

You found yourself scoffing at this, shaking your head with a half-smile. "Nah, no friendliness pellets for me. Just a couple thorny vines and some well placed balls of white magic. Nothing Tori couldn't fix." You move up onto the bed itself, rolling up your pant leg to unstrap the prosthetic from your stump, sighing with relief once you tossed it into the middle of the room. The poor kid's eyes were wide at the display, causing you to smile. "Hey, don't worry about it, kid. I'm sure I can get a new leg, but in the mean time I'm just gonna rest it."

"Why is your leg missing, Mister?"

Such a small question, six words long, coming from someone so young.

Those six words were terrifying to you, but you were going to end up telling Toriel the story anyway. Might as well tell the kid at the same time. They weren't exactly leaving the underground any time soon, right?

"I'll tell ya the story about my leg on two conditions. First," you say, holding up a single finger. "I wanna know your name. So does Tori. If you're gonna be living here with her, you gotta help us out, okay? And two?" You hold up a second finger, your smile growing wider. "You gotta tell me a story about yourself, too. Namely, the story of why you went running up an abandoned mountain path like a bat out of hell. Fair enough?"

The kid only nodded in agreement, idly picking at their fingernails as they looked down at their lap. They took a deep breath before blurting out their name with an embarrassed sigh.

"Frisk. My name is Frisk."

You couldn't help but smile at the kid, reaching up and patting them on the shoulder. "There ya go, buddy! See, not hard at all!" You flash a big toothy smile as the kid seemed to relax. "Don't worry, no one is gonna make fun of you for your name or anything. If you're Frisk, you're Frisk. That's how this works!"

"B-but you know it's not my birth name..." they said, their voice starting to waver as tears formed in the corners of their eyes.

"Who cares about what your 'birth' name is? Did you honestly think I was born with the first name Quinn? Heck no! That's my middle name, actually. My first name is terrible, and I don't even wanna think about my surname. My parents weren't exactly the greatest people, but at least someone had the decency to give me a nice middle name to use for everything, right?"

This got Frisk to smile and laugh once more, no longer feeling self-conscious about themselves around the odd bald man with a missing leg. "Thank you, Mister! No one ever... believes me when I tell them my name's Frisk. They always demand to know if I'm a boy or a girl a-"

"Oh please," you cut them off, squeezing their shoulder. "Call me Quinn, and never listen to people who are trying to force you into a binary gender. Trust me, there was a time in my life where I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. I later decided that I was a boy, but every now and then I picture what would have happened if I had made a different choice in my life. Doesn't really matter to me that much anymore, though. I'll always be known as Quinn, former Olympian, one of Canada's best athletes. You, however, have as much time as you want to decide who or what you are. Never forget that. Now," you slowly rise up from the bed, holding out your hand for the child. "Let's go bug Tori while she makes us pie. We can tell our stories at the dinner table. Fair enough?"

With a simple nod, Frisk hopped off the bed, squeezing your hand as you lead them out of the bedroom. You closed the door with a gentle click before taking in a deep breath. This was going to be a rather long story telling session...

* * *

 

The three of you ate your pie in complete silence, giving you a chance to collect your thoughts. You already promised Frisk that you'd tell your own story first, mainly because it was a longer story then theirs. Toriel was patient with both humans that sat at her dining table, a good sign. Your story wasn't exactly going to be easy to tell, especially if you were going to explain every little detail of what you used to do for a living to her. With a small sigh you pushed the plate away from your spot on the table, gazing up at the beautiful creature's fiery eyes once more.

"Alright Tori, Frisk, I'm finished eating... so I guess I should start first. This isn't the happiest of stories, but it's not all bad in the end, I promise. I mean, heck, part of the ending involves meeting you two, and this isn't a bad thing in the long run by any stretch!" You smile to yourself, idly rubbing your stump of a leg as you think back to how it all started.

"It was the second week of August, about three weeks after my debut for the wrestling promotion I had been training to join straight out of the Olympics. And before you ask, Frisk, no. I wasn't part of the big brand down in the USA. I was part of a slightly smaller promotion here in Canada called the ACPWA. Every year, in July, they hold a special event called the Baron's Brawl over-the-top-rope challenge. It's just like the Royal Rumble in the states, but the final two competitors actually have to wrestle a full match, rather than winning the whole thing with a simple final elimination. Brings more drama to the whole thing.

Anyway, I debuted in the Brawl itself, coming out as the seventeenth entrant. It was very rare for someone new to make an appearance in the match, but they trusted me enough to be out there with those guys. The match was intense. Bodies everywhere, arms and legs and torsos flailing around that ring. But in the end, it was just me and Viktor. Viktor was a member of the old guard, someone the crowd knew and respected. At first, the crowd was cheering him on to win the whole thing, but that changed when he started to do some rather naughty things. Thumbs to the eye, holding a submission hold for too long after the ref called for a rope break. Shouting at the crowd to shut up. The normal bad guy shtick.

Anyway, long story short, I won the Brawl main event with a shooting star press. Flying through the air with the grace of a sweaty bald guy. I promise you, it looks really cool on video, but in my own head it probably is the worst SSP I've ever done. Viktor was too far away at first, but thankfully I could readjust just right. With that win, I was to be granted a championship match at the next big event. Before that, however, I had to do a couple of house shows.

This is where the biggest mistake of my life too place."

* * *

 

You were sitting at a bar, nursing a glass of ice as several guys from your promotion played cards. You were driving the bus to Calgary for the final show before the Autumn Bash event, but everyone wanted a quick game of cards and a drink at this random ass bar in the middle of god damn nowhere. You were, obviously, rather cross with the rest of the guys. You were being hazed, yes, but you weren't a god damn kid! You were a fucking gold medalist! A TWO TIME gold medalist at that!

You huffed and stood from the bar stool, grumbling a bit to yourself about getting some fresh air before you pushing open the door. It was rather late at night, and the stars were shining at full force. You couldn't help but smile to yourself as you traced a finger in front of you, trying to remember your constellations. You didn't get far, however, because you heard a shout from a nearby alleyway. Normally you wouldn't bother with something like this. You didn't normally stick your nose in other people's problems.

This time you would. What harm would it do?

When you finally found the right alleyway, blood drained from your face. Laying on the ground near the back wall was a woman, dressed rather scantily. A prostitute, clearly. Hovering over here where two greasy looking men, leather jackets and all. Both of them had guns. They hadn't noticed you, however, so you took a chance. You pulled out your phone and sent a quick text to your group, telling them to call the police, before you dashed towards the pair as silently as you could. Getting the drop on them was rather easy, but this was a two on one situation, with a bystander taking up a good chunk of ground that you could have used to better handle the situation.

You were able to knock out the first thug with ease, but the second one was able to pull the trigger. You were lucky that his hand was pointed downward, away from either you or the woman you were trying to save.

Too bad you couldn't stop him from firing a second time. That bullet completely destroyed your knee.

With a pained gasp, you launched your fist into the second man's face, knocking him out cold. You joined him a few seconds later, bleeding out next to a hysterical woman of the night.

* * *

 

You took a long sip of tea, your eyes finally settling on the goat monster's own for the first time since you started the story. "Needless to say, the lower part of my leg was completely dead by the time the paramedics got to me. They elected to remove the dead limb, rather than risk the infected tissue to spread up the rest of my leg and possibly to the rest of my body. My career was over before it could even begin. For seven long years I trained, hoping I could be the next Texas Tornado. Wrestling on a fake limb. It didn't work out, though. Nothing I did worked. They tried giving me other things to do. Referee, commentator, general manager of the television program they were starting. None of it stuck. I was broken. I was finished. So, I decided to take a break from it all. I rented a cabin at the base of the mountain, hoping for some peace and quiet. Not two days into my relaxing trip, though, a strange blue and purple blur rushes towards the mountain... and here we are now."

Your story was complete. You finally sat back with a huff, closing your eyes. "Now you know what a mess I am, Tori. Seven years, trying to hold onto an impossible dream. You can easily back out of any feelings you have for me right now." You were trying to be light-hearted with everything, but you could feel your shoulders shaking. Your eyes snapped open when Toriel cleared her throat, forcing you to look at her once more.

"Quinn. Thank you for telling me your story. Thank you for trusting me, for trusting both of us, with your pain. Believe me, I know what it's like to lose something you hold close to your own heart. And you are not leaving me so easily. Now, enough of that frowning. Frisk can tell their story another time. It is well past their bed time."

You blink a few times, pulling your phone out of your pocket to check the time. It was almost midnight. You had been sitting there eating pie and talking about your past for HOURS at this point, and neither of them had stopped you. "Huh. It really is bedtime for the squirt. Sorry for that, I thought my tale would be shorter then that."

Frisk couldn't help but smile, hopping out of their chair and swinging around to wrap their arms around you from the side. "Thank you for being so brave, Mister Quinn." You chuckle, messing up their hair with your free hand.

"Any time Frisk. You can tell your story tomorrow if you're feeling up to it. I'm sure Tori and I will be just as understanding, okay?" They give a nod and a thumbs up before hurrying down the hall and back into their room to get changed. Finally alone with the goat monster, you flash her a tiny smile, raising an eyebrow at her. "So? Any questions?"

The woman gave a warm smile as she stood up, helping you sit down at the fireplace once more so she could sit in the much more comfortable reading chair. "Why yes, I do have quite a few questions. My first question is rather simple I think...

What exactly is wrestling?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya have it! Quinn's mysterious injury is fully revealed! Stupid greasy gunman.
> 
> Don't worry, not going to go into a FULL "What is wrestling" explanation because this is an Undertale fanfiction story, not a wrestling story. If you have questions about what the hell I'm talking about... I guess you can leave a comment to ask? I mean, I'm the only one who leaves comments, but if you wanna talk to me that's pretty cool, you know?
> 
> The next chapter will probably be on Friday. I'm thinking that's how the rough schedule is going to be. Tuesdays and Fridays. Unless I'm up at 1 AM again and just need to write something down. Chapter six will delve into the reason why Frisk ran away, as well as introduce us to everyone's favorite Fartmas-I mean Punmaster, Sans the Skeleton!


	6. Knock Knock, Who's There?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans the Skeleton enters the picture. Jokes are shared, laughs are had. Promises are made.
> 
> What is going through the mind of the skeleton? Let's find out, shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the slightly early chapter six! I wanna thank each and every one of you for taking the time to at least click on the darn story. You're all awesome. Thank you especially to the people who have left comments down below. Helped me through some sleepless nights for sure.
> 
> As I posted before, I'm going to be doing a special little recording. It's going to be Quinn vs. Viktor, video game style! I have a copy of WWE 2K16 on my computer, so I might as well have a fun little match, yes? I thought you'd like it, especially if you have no idea what the hell is going on during that flashback chapter.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Sans had a rather rough morning. A late night at Grillby's and a few too many sips of spiked ketchup led to a rather terrible headache. Of course, that could only mean one thing to the skeleton. The one thing he dreaded the most out of anything possible. The human had reset the god damn timeline.

The skeleton sat up with a flash, his magic flaring for a brief moment before he rubbed his face. Calm down, he would tell himself. It probably was for the best. He had to kill Asgore to leave, again. He had gotten so close to freeing them, but something just hadn't worked. Alphys had seemed depressed about something. Like she had been keeping a secret. Maybe the kid could have done something with her? Maybe if he had at least knocked on that lab door and talked to her about what had happened with that damn hunk of metal...

No, he told himself. That was last time. This time, they're going to do things the right way. They're going to figure this out. They just gotta ask him. Granted, he always told himself this after every reset, but it could be worse.

The kid could be a genocidal megalomaniac with a desire to wipe out all of existence.

Sans grumbled to himself as he slid off of the bed, rummaging through his dresser for a clean tank-top, a turtleneck sweater, and some black shorts. His jacket was hanging off the treadmill, and he snatched that up as well before he got too distracted. He carefully slid on his gloves before slipping into his favorite slippers, flashing a small grin at his own feet before his face settled into its more permanent fake grin.

Time to get to work, Sans. The kid'll be out of the ruins before nightfall.

* * *

 

The kid is late.

Dread starts to fill his soul. Why the hell was the kid late? Why the hell were they taking their time in the Ruins? Toriel was never successful in getting them to stay over for an entire night. Hell, the kid never stayed behind this late in the times where he murders her. This was a rather strange anomaly to say the least. Maybe the kid didn't fall down this time? Heck, worst things could happen. Some of the anomalies had been just plain... creepy. He hated not being 'himself' in those timelines. He hated being goofy and carefree like his brother Papyrus while he took on the more laid back and somewhat serious demeanor. He hated when all of the monsters would kill each other in hopes of becoming stronger, subscribing to some sort of wicked Kill Or Be Killed mentality.

God, he even hated that one anomaly where he had been human. That one was just odd to him. Not having magic at all, but still being called Sans? That was just... different. It made his bones rattle.

No. This anomaly was different. But what was it? What could be so different? He grumbled to himself, fetching the car magazine he kept hidden in the bushes next to Toriel's door. He hadn't fished this thing out in a long time. Not since the resets started, at least. He had forgotten why he had even bothered to look at this thing in the first place. Maybe he had been trying to gather ideas of what kind of car he would want. He knew his brother wanted something red, like his race car bed...

The skeleton sighed to himself, letting his features relax, the wide grin growing smaller as he pushed everything from his mind for a brief moment. He looked down at the book, flipping through the pages, gathering ideas. A picture of a sleek black motorcycle caught his eye, making him tilt his head. Maybe he could go for something like that instead of a car. It'd be easier to move around with it, and if he got stuck somewhere, he could easily take a shortcut while pushing it next to him.

A knock behind him almost made him jump out of his clothes (seeing as he had no skin to speak of, being a skeleton and all). He turned his head to the side, speaking loud enough for his visitor to hear him.

"Who's there?"

"Soil," came the soft, feminine voice from the other side of the door. The one that made his soul swell with joy. His best friend, the one person in the entire Underground who enjoyed bad jokes just as much as he did. Someone, at one point, he would have attempted to date, had it not been for the resets.

"Soil who?" Sans replied, wondering what she had in mind for this particular set-up.

"Soil be honest with you, I wasn't expecting to see you out here by our door so late at night, my friend. I would have come much sooner, but something has... happened in the Ruins." The skeleton tilts his head at this, leaning back against the door.

"What happened? Did someone get hurt? Tibia honest, I don't think I like the idea of anyone in the Ruins falling down for no reason..."

"Oh, no one has fallen down... at least, not in the way you're thinking." Toriel's response was all that Sans had to hear. Frisk had fallen down, as he should have. But what happened? Maybe Flowey's attacks were too strong. Maybe Frisk is on death's door and they'll have the final soul needed to leave the Underground forever. Maybe he'd finally given up on this 'game' of saving everyone. Maybe--

"There were two people who fell today. A small child named Frisk, and an adult named Quinn."

Who the fuck is Quinn? Sans thought to himself. This had to be some sort of joke. The universe can't just decide to send in a second human as an anomaly like this. There's just no way.

"Are you safe in there? Has the adult tried to hurt you? Do they know any magic? Have you checked their stats? Please you have to be careful, a kid is one thing but an adult..." Sans was in a panic. He needed to protect his friends. He needed to protect Toriel. Even if it meant blasting down this god damn door with all of his magic just to get into the Ruins.

"Of course I've checked his stats, Sans. I even got a good look at his Soul. It's... beautiful," came the response from the other side of the door. She was practically swooning like a dreamy schoolgirl. Sans balked as she continued. "It's a brilliant shade of silver, flecked with the colors of each trait. I have never seen anything like it, not even with the adults I had seen on the surface all those years ago. And the way he acts towards the child is amazing. And his smile is so bright, it lights up the whole room! His eyes shine with the brightest shade of Kindness, and he is a rather excellent storyteller, even when the tale isn't exactly a happy one. If only I was up there on the surface to heal his wounds. Walking on that fake limb must be such a bother."

Sans couldn't help but chuckle at Toriel's fascination at the older human, even if he felt a slight pang of jealousy. Toriel had never acted this way towards him during those timelines where he had at least tried to connect with her. This sounded like pure destiny in the form of a battle-scarred human. Wait, did she just say fake limb?

"What do you mean by a fake limb?" asked the skeleton, clearly confused.

"Oh, well Quinn's left leg had to be... removed after a very serious injury. They gave him a plastic limb to walk with, he uses these straps to tie it to the remainder of his real leg. He says it is uncomfortable to wear for long stretches of time, however. It's rather interesting to see him hop around on one foot from place to place, but he always seems in control. He never asks for help in his movements, and it just seems like he's walking with a limp rather than missing an important piece of him."

"Huh, the guy sounds pretty tough then. I take it they're asleep?" Sans was extremely curious about this human now. He wanted to get a quick peak at their Soul, see if his gifts could pinpoint just what the hell kind of trait Silver could be attached to. Sans got his wish a few moments later, when the goat monster gave a short gasp on her side of the door. Her voice was muffled, her back having been turned to the door.

"My goodness Quinn, I didn't think you'd come down here looking for me!"

Sans couldn't quite here the human's response, your voice too low and too far away. He gave a slight shrug, sticking around for a little bit to see how this turned out.

* * *

 

"Sorry about that, Tori. I just got done putting Frisk to bed. They actually dusted off and cuddled with one of the stuffed animals next to the bed, it was rather adorable," You said with a wide grin on your face, still hopping around on one foot. You were thankful that you had packed your good insoles for your boot. It got annoying to walk on one foot without them.

"That's good. The child had attempted to take several naps before you arrived, but never stayed asleep for more than a couple of minutes. Something must have really been bothering them before," came the reply. Quinn took a few more steps towards his friend, patting her on the shoulder before taking a quick peak around her towards the door.

"I take it this leads to the rest of the Underground, huh?" you ask, causing the goat monster to flinch.

"Yes, this is the exit to the rest of the Underground. I was just in the middle of having a conversation with a close friend of mine. They live in Snowdin, the section just outside the door. We... like to tell jokes through the door. It's how we met, how I distracted myself when no one was... here, in my home with me. Being isolated from the rest of the Underground can be quite BONELY." Toriel couldn't stop herself from making the pun, proud to make her friend chuckle. Wait... her friend was still there?

"Oh hey, he's here still? Hmm I'm not really good at jokes but... let me try this one. Knock knock."

"Who's there?" came the deep rumbling baritone from the other side of the door. A slight chill going down your spine at the sound of his voice. This was Tori's friend? He sounded rather upset by him. Better use the best joke you have.

"Arch." Yeah. This'll get him to laugh, you think to yourself.

"Arch who?"

"Gesundheit." There it is. Your magnum opus. Your crowning jewel of knock knock jokes.

But nobody came. Or, well, nobody laughed. You sighed, slumping forward against the door, gently knocking your head against it.

"I should've realized that you probably haven't heard that term before. It's... well, basically a German word that's the equivalent to saying 'bless you' or 'I hope you're okay' after someone sneezes. God damn I'm a moron. Sorry, I'm not the best at jokes," you ramble, your voice growing softer and softer with each word. That is, until the voice on the other side of the door gave a playful little chuckle.

"Nah, that joke was pretty good, now that I know what the heck the word means. Good one, Kiddo."

Your soul swelled with joy, pushing away from the door and giving a small fist pump at your success. "Glad I could entertain you with my joke. And... seriously? Kiddo? I know Monsters probably live for a really long time, but I'm practically on the cusp of my mid-life crisis at the moment. Hell this COULD be my mid-life crisis. Going around saving kids from dangerous falls and japes instead of buying really expressive cars and getting into terrible hobbies like skate boarding."

The monster on the other side of the door couldn't help but laugh at your silly ramblings, the rustle of snow being shuffled around (from them standing up, more than likely) reaching your ear. "Nah, I'm actually on the younger side of things. About 24 years old." This caused you to burst into a fit of laughter yourself, eyes bright with joy.

"Ha! Good, that means I get to call YOU a Kiddo instead! I'm nearly twelve years your senior!" You pump your fist again, only to lose your balance, falling backwards, right into Toriel's arms. "Whoops, thanks Tori. I guess I'm just falling for you all over again." You flash a wide grin, getting a similar grin from the the woman. You can get used to her wickedly sharp teeth, you really can. She wouldn't harm a fly. She would probably be really gentle with them too, especially if she ever found herself between y- stop that right now, you tell yourself. You don't want to go down that path. She may change her mind about wanting to even TRY and date you, let alone do something like THAT.

"Heh, alright you two, it's getting late. I should head home and give Paps his story. Should I come by at our usual time tomorrow?" asked the voice on the other side of the door.

"Yes dear," came Toriel's reply, her arms still wrapped around you, keeping you close to her chest. "Same time as usual. Maybe I can introduce you to Frisk as well! Maybe after they tell us about why they came down here..."

"Wait, they're gonna tell you why they fell?" the voice on the other side of the door said, clearly confused.

"Yeah," you respond. "It was a trade of sorts. I had to explain the story of how I lost my leg, in exchange for why they had jumped. I was there when it happened. I could see the tears. Their shaking form. Those words they said. God it sent chills down my spine with how defeated they sounded. It broke my heart, er I guess my soul? That was a weird experience with that ghost... Never thought I'd get to see something like that."

The voice grunts at this, gently tapping his knuckles against the door in thought. "Sounds like you have a full day ahead of yourself. You two should get some sleep. Don't think you two should resist A REST."

You couldn't help but laugh at the pun. You tried so hard to resist, but you couldn't. The strong arms of the goat monster lifted you up bridal style. "Goodnight, my friend. I shall see you tomorrow!"

"See ya," you call out.

"Take care of her, Quinn. She means a lot to the monsters down here. You wouldn't want to break the hearts and souls of everyone down here, would ya?" You didn't get a chance to respond before the presence on the other side of the door was gone, sending a small chill down your spine.

Who was that guy?

* * *

 

Sans flicked off the last of the house's lights before slowly slipping into his room. He set his jacket on the mattress, tossed off his favorite slippers, pulled off his sweater, and then sat down on the lumpy bed. Frisk was here, but so was this anomaly, Quinn. What was his purpose. What did he do on the surface. Why was he missing a leg?

And why the hell was his soul Silver? He was clearly not a monster...he shook his head and flopped down on the bed. He could worry about this later. He'll cross that bridge when he gets to it. He was too bone tired to worry about the former royal scientist and his experiments right now. Sleep consumed him, and for once, he didn't have to worry about nightmares.


	7. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get some sleep after a rather long day. You've fallen head over heels for a goat monster, told bad jokes through a door to a complete stranger, and you've even, possibly, saved a kid from possible death.
> 
> What could possibly happen in your sleep?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to our newest chapter! We get to meet a certain someone here, and I'm really excited for this! Don't worry, they're friendly!
> 
> Also, thank you guys and gals for taking a chance to read this story. Your kudos, comments, and even simply clicking the page fills my heart with JOY.
> 
> Enjoy the show!

As much as you'd love to spend time getting to know Toriel better in the comfort of her bedroom, you decided to be the perfect gentleman instead, opting to curl up on the goat monster's massive reading chair with a fluffy blanket and a pillow with a giant snail embroidered on one side. You curl up your leg so that you laid more comfortably in the chair, staring at the fireplace, deep in thought. You didn't know what to think of your current situation. You were trapped inside of a mountain that the humans of the nearby town had deemed unsafe. Forgotten legends of mystical beasts who would devour you in a moments notice. Outside of the flower, not a single monster had attempted to kill you. Even the ghost Napstablook hadn't been trying too hard to hurt you, they had just been startled by your movements.

You let out a soft sigh, lost in your own thoughts as you try to force yourself to fall asleep. You knew it wouldn't be happening any time soon, but you needed at least some semblance of rest if you're going to be moving forward with getting the kid out of the Underground. You'd talk to Frisk about why they were down here, you'd talk to Toriel about the man on the other side of the door, and then you'll find out more about this Barrier that's keeping everyone trapped down here. It shouldn't be that hard to get through everything, right?

With a slight shrug of your shoulders you finally close your eyes, burying yourself deeper into the blanket and pillow, quickly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Toriel was on cloud nine as she changed into her night gown, sighing happily as her Soul fluttered rapidly in her chest. When was the last time she felt like this? she thought to herself. Indeed, it had been quite a long time since she had felt herself falling head over heels for anyone. Asgore had once tugged on her soul strings like this, but that was well before the Barrier had ever been created. The love, the passion of their relationship grew strained with each passing year, until they had finally decided to give birth to an heir. Asriel...

Asriel had been the greatest thing in her life. Her shining star. She loved her child, cared for him deeply. She wanted to see them grow big and strong, to take over the throne and allow for Asgore and herself to finally have some peace and quiet. When Chara fell, she felt that they would have an even brighter future. A future where both races could finally learn and understand each other. Together they would rule the Kingdom, find a way to shatter the Barrier, free the Monsters once more, correcting an injustice...

She should have known that Chara was unhappy. She should have known something was wrong with her children. They had always run off to different hidden places, mostly in Waterfall. Asriel practically had that video camera wrapped around his wrists every waking moment. She should have watched the tapes, asked more questions. But it wasn't meant to be. Chara became sick. Lost the will to continue living.

She would never forgive herself for such a failure.

With a rapid shake of her head, she cleared her mind. Now was not the time to be sad about the past. Now was the time to be happy about a possible future for herself. For Quinn. With a simple flick of her fingers she locked the door with her magic. Her lips curled in a wide grin as she approached her sock drawer, pulling it open slowly, biting her bottom lip as she gazed over her collection. She was feeling rather playful tonight, and she needed a chance to unwind.

Maybe she'd try that pair of rainbow patterned socks that went up to her knees...

* * *

Doctor W.D. Gaster was bored.

Granted, after being trapped in the Void with nothing but the 'windows' he was able to peak into keeping him company, he was pretty much always bored. Looking into the windows every now and then brought only the briefest bit of joy to his life, but when every other 'window' he looked into showed images of death and destruction, he had since grown to distrust them.

He had once been a brilliant scientist, tasked with finding ways to help his people survive and thrive in the Underground. He had created the CORE, that marvelous power plant that would never lose its spark. He was proud of his team, proud of his research, proud of the sons he had created to keep him company in his off hours. He had done everything right!

Too bad he had been too lazy to tie his own damn shoes before making his way out the door. Indeed, a simple string had been the downfall of the great Doctor Gaster. His son, Sans, had tried to figure out over the course of many timelines what had happened to him. Had he jumped? Had he been pushed in? No. No, it was worse then that.

Gaster died because he couldn't bother to tie his own damn shoes.

He grumbled a little and rose to his full height, rolling his neck as he tried to form a more solid form for himself. Over the past decade or so in the Void, he had learned to give himself a mostly solid form. He could finally feel like himself, no longer having to resort to the more 'goopy' shape he had been in the first time the human known as Frisk had visited his domain. That first visit was rather... interesting to say the least. With a flurry of hand motions, the good doctor summoned several purple hands, pulling one of the windows close to him. He might as well take a peak into this new timeline, try to get a feel for what--

He had not been expecting to see Toriel, Queen of Monsters, laying in bed with nothing but rainbow colored socks on her legs. He quickly pushed the window aside, his skull flushed in a deep purple.

Note to self: Pick a better time to check on the world.

Feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, he snatched a second window, taking a peak inside. He had hoped to get a good view of either of his sons sleeping soundly in their beds, but instead he was greeted by the sight of a young human man, curled up in Toriel's reading chair. How curious. With a tiny bit of magic, he pushed the window open further, poking his head through to get a better look at the man below him. They looked so peaceful in their sleep. His hands and foot wiggling ever so slightly as he dreamed...

Wait, foot? Where was this man's other foot?

Gaster frowned as he pulled his head back into the Void, closing the window for the time being. This was a new piece of the puzzle. He needed to keep an eye on them for sure. The skeleton wondered just how much of an impact someone with a silver Soul could do in the Underground. Possibly more than anyone could expect.

A small thread of hope filled the scientist's Soul. This time... maybe this time...

* * *

Frisk opened their eyes and yawned softly, their grip on the stuffed animal loosening as they sat up in the bed. They needed to get going, especially if they were going to make it out of the Ruins before Toriel or Quinn woke up.

They couldn't keep their promise, they couldn't tell either of them why they had come down here. It wasn't right. Every time they had told Toriel the story, she had always been more insistent that the child should stay in the Ruins. The other human, Quinn, would probably want them to stay behind as well. They couldn't do that! They were so close to figuring out how to leave last time! They didn't even have to fight Flowey in the last timeline! Frisk could handle this, they didn't need another human's help!

Slowly, the determined child gathered up their belongings and pushed the door open. They had to move quickly, but they had to beware the squeaky steps on the way down. They remembered which ones were which, it'll be easy t--

"Mornin' Frisk," you say, the blanket still wrapped around your shoulders, leaning against the wall to  better stabilize you as you gaze down at them. "I didn't think  you'd be so eager to leave, especially when I'm in the process of making you and Tori breakfast. Come on, join me in the kitchen real quick, kiddo. We can have our chat in there."

Damnit, Frisk thought to themselves. Why was he awake this early? You chuckled a little, patting the kid's shoulder for a brief moment.

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I think it'll be more comfortable if you just tell me first. Tori'll probably want to put a padlock on your door and never let you leave your room if your story is going to go the way I think it is. And no, Frisk, I am not going to let you skimp out on too many details. You and I both know that people on the surface can be cruel bastards, and whoever did those things to you is going to be in for a world of hurt when we make it back to the surface. Got it? I want to help you, but you gotta  help me first."

You smile a little as the kid finally relented, moving down the hall, avoiding the stairs, and sliding into Toriel's small kitchen. Ingredients for french toast were already present on the counter, the batter all mixed up in a bowl, ready for the bread to be dipped and cooked. You had to resort to hopping from one safe spot to the next, your leg slowly starting to get worn out from its extended use. "There we go! I really need to grab my other leg from your room at some point, kiddo. It's getting pretty rough to walk around like this."

"Why?" Frisk asked, leaning back against the wall next to the fridge. "Why are you wanting to know about all of this? Why do you even care?"

"Because you're a twelve year old kid with too much baggage on your shoulders. You remind me a lot of myself growing up. I knew that look in your eye when you were backing up towards the hole. You were numb to everything. That's not something you should be experiencing in your lifetime. And when we make it to the surface? You're not going back to whoever did that to you. Got it? You'll come with me. Or Toriel. Or both of us, if this...thing we've developed pans out, alright?" You turn to the stove, fishing out the proper tools for making an amazing french toast breakfast. "There we go. Here. Why don't I show you how to properly make the most delicious meal you will ever taste, yeah?"

Frisk gave a small smile before nodding their head, quickly hopping in next to you. They were going to tell the story to Quinn. They'd understand. They just had to.

The child was filled with DETERMINATION to do so.

You were filled with outright JOY at the sight. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the end of Chapter Seven! Creeper!Gaster is just creepin' up on people in the middle of the night, huh? Don't worry, Gaster the Friendly Goop is going to make more and more appearances as the story progresses. He'll pop up like this a couple of times, but his actual character arc won't start up for a little while.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for sticking around with this silly story of mine. I hope you guys are having a good time with it. I had to rewrite this chapter a couple times because I just didn't care for it. Wasn't fun at all...
> 
> Oh right. I guess I should mention that next chapter is going to deal with some heavier stuff related to this Frisk's issues. Just a fair warning. That... and we'll be seeing some more Sans stuff. Mainly because of what'll happen after Frisk's story is concluded. Hope you guys are excited for that!
> 
> Please, keep leaving comments and stuff! I love talking with you guys! Maybe I'll even do what ~everyone else~ does and set up some sort of tumblr or something? Who knows...


	8. One Thousand Cuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk finally reveals why they had run to the mountain. At least, they speak of why they had initially run up the mountain. Quinn can tell that they're holding back something, but can't put a finger on it.
> 
> Breakfast time has never felt so bittersweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my special hell.
> 
> I hate doing this sort of things to characters. I hate making people suffer.

You and Frisk spent the entire time eating breakfast in total silence. Toriel was still out of commission, and you doubted they would be up for a few hours still according to the clock on your phone, and the kid clearly wasn't really interested in speaking with a mouth full of cinnamon flavored goodness. That was all fine and good in your mind. It gave you more time to think up possible questions for them.

Why were they up here, on Mount Ebbot of all things?

What were they running away from?

Who had caused this much pain to a small child? Sure, twelve years old isn't exactly five or six, but they're still young.

These questions and more continued to circle around your head like a nest of angry hornets ready to burst free and latch onto the kid's face, but you kept them at bay for the time being. Once Frisk had finished eating and pushed the empty plate away, however, you sighed.

"Alright Frisk," you start, letting your face shift into something more calming. More nurturing. "I know this is hard, but if you don't want Tori to know anything just yet, you should probably start telling your story now, okay? And please don't skip out on things. I can't help you if you hide information from me."

"I know..." Frisk replied, their gaze falling to their lap. "I'm scared though. No one was supposed to follow me. No one was supposed to come down here with me. I wasn't supposed to survive the fall in the first place."

You wince at this, leaning forward across the table, laying a hand in front of the child. "What do you mean, kiddo? You don't hone-"

"I wanted to die, okay!"

Your blood ran cold as they looked up at you, their normally happy face twisted into a grimace. A pained expression. One not fit for a child so young.

One you've worn on your own face quite a bit in the seven years you've lived with part of your leg missing.

"I came up here because of the legends. The legends saying that everyone who climbs the mountain disappear. Poof! Gone! I wouldn't have to go back to those... those... DEMONS!" Your eyes quickly glanced down the hallway to see if the sudden shouting had caused Tori to wake up, but no one was coming down the hall just yet.

"Frisk, please, you're going to wake Tori up if you keep shouting." Your attempts to soothe the young child down was no use, however. They continued to rant in a loud voice.

"You don't understand! Those people hated me! They wanted a pretty little doll and all they got was me!" Frisk tugged at the sleeves of their shirt, revealing a massive line of healed scars, all along their arms.

A thousand tiny cuts. Most of them possibly self inflected. No wonder they didn't want a knife to cut their french toast properly. They were using the side of their fork instead. Granted, you did the same thing, but that was due to being lazy in the morning. This... this was more serious.

"Jesus Christ, Frisk... Come here," you say, quickly pulling yourself out of the chair to kneel down on the ground, arms spread open in invitation. They dashed around the table, flinging themselves into your arms, face pressed firmly into your chest as they sobbed. You rested your chin on top of the messy mop of brown hair, rocking them slowly and humming a soft tune. An old lullaby from your childhood. You stayed like this for a few moments, only for it to be broken up by a quiet cough from the entryway.

Toriel was awake, wrapped in what looked like a bathrobe to cover whatever sleepwear she had on. Her eyes were filled with worry, slowly stepping into the room.

"Is everything alright in here, Quinn? What happened with Frisk?"

"Not really, Toriel. Frisk was just getting started with their story. We thought you'd still be asleep, they didn't want you to know what their parents..." you sigh to yourself, patting Frisk on the back. "All that's been said so far is that their parents wanted a precious doll. A daughter that they could dress up and show off to others. Is that right?" With a small nod, you continue. "Frisk doesn't want to be labeled by any one gender right now. Hell, I had a similar experience growing up as well, but in my teens I made the decision to stay as my birth gender and started working on things that I loved."

Frisk nodded slowly as they pulled away, taking a few small steps to the goat monster waiting nearby and wrapping their arms around them. Tori's hands immediately moved down to pat the child's shoulders and hair.

Then Frisk started to tell their story.

* * *

Aurora hated wearing dresses. They were always so constricting, they never let her move with the freedom she desired. Every time she asked her parents why they forced her to wear dresses to all of the parties she had to attend, she would be utterly ignored and told to just smile like the good girl she was.

It was New Year's Eve, and all of the rich families of the town were gathered in a fancy ballroom, enjoying glasses of sparkling champagne as the clock ticked closer to midnight. For Aurora, this meant sitting at a table while her parents continued to ignore their own child, leaving her with nothing to do but stare at nothing. After almost four hours of doing nothing, she finally stood up and went outside, standing on the balcony, staring up at what few stars she could see with the amount of lights had been turned on outside, wishing she was far away from these dumb clothes and dumb people and dumb everything else.

"I don't think little girl's like you should be standing outside this late at night," came a voice from behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed it to be Mr. Braxton, someone she had met at a few of these parties. His smile was bright as he glanced up at the skies, moving forward to lean on the railing of the balcony. "Trying to get a good view of the stars, huh? I guess a party like this is pretty boring for a nine year old huh?"

"Yeah, it kinda is. I hate dresses. I wanna wear pants and a shirt. Maybe even a suit like you!" the girl exclaimed, smiling brightly at the man's well tailored tuxedo. This caused the man to turn towards her, raising a well plucked brow.

"Is that so?" The man slowly knelled down, gazing into the girl's eyes. "And how long have you had these feelings, dear? How long have you felt... uncomfortable wearing dresses?"

"Um... for a long while, honestly. Mom and dad never listen when I say I don't want to wear dresses anymore. They always get me dolls to play with, they always want me to experiment with different things like makeup and perfume and I just don't like that stuff! I wanna wear pants, I wanna ride bikes and play sports and... and..." Aurora huffs, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I probably sound really dumb, huh?"

"Oh not at all dear! In fact, you sound just like I did when I was your age." Mr. Braxton's eyes shined bright, taking the girl's hand into his own. For some reason, his hands felt softer than her dad's. "You see, when I was your age, I was a young girl, just like you were. I was uncomfortable, even in my own skin. I felt miserable. So, one day, many years later, I decided to make a change. Now, I am Mr. Braxton." He flashes a wide smile, rising to his feet once more. "Come dear, let's go inside. I can tell you more about this. Maybe we can find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes, yes?"

Aurora took the nice man's soft hands and returned to the party, DETERMINED to find out more about herself.

* * *

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR! WHERE IS YOUR NICE DRESS! GET BACK HERE YOUNG LADY!"

Aurora's parents were filled with pure rage at the sight before them. The girl had gone through the process of removing most of her hair with a pair of scissors and was wearing one of her new shirts and a pair of jeans that  she had bought with the help of Mr. Braxton in a hope of becoming more comfortable. Instead, she was being grabbed around the neck from behind by her father, thrown into a nearby wall.

The physical strikes hurt, but the verbal words stung like a million angry bees. They didn't understand. They didn't understand their own child anymore. Aurora was forced to watch in horror as her mother took away the clothes and ripped off what she was currently wearing from her body. She was thrown and locked into her room until she was 'ready to cooperate' with their demands.

She laid on the ground, naked and afraid of what was to come next. Aurora cried out for help.

But nobody came.

* * *

Three years have passed since that day, and Aurora had finally reached a breaking point. Cutting was no longer helping, no matter what direction or how long the cuts were. Any attempts to spend time outside of the house was denied, her friends abandoning her within the first month of her punishments coming through. She hadn't seen Mr. Braxton in so long, and by what she had heard, he was forced to move to another city because of her parents.

The one person who understood her, gone in an instant. It made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't take it anymore. She quickly reached under her bed for a box. One her parents had never found in all of this time. One that still contained clothes that she found comfortable to wear. She glanced down at the words on the box, a small smile curling on her lips. She tossed the lid aside, throwing on the beautiful blue and purple long-sleeved sweater and jeans, as well as a pair of comfortable boots, before climbing out the window and scaling down the two story house. She didn't grab anything else, there was no reason.

The first thing her parents had seen when they stepped into the room was the lid of a clothing box, words neatly carved into the cardboard.

Property of ~~Aurora~~  Frisk.

Destination: Mount Ebbot

Goodbye To A World I Can No Longer Stand

No one would find the child formerly known as Aurora. They had been gone too long, and the trail had long since gone cold. The trek up the mountain had been rather lonely, branches and cuts covering their face and hands. They didn't care, though. Why should they? They would be dead once they found a place to jump off from anyway.

They had no idea they had been followed up the last trail up the mountain. They had no idea that someone had come in their final minutes of life.

They couldn't stop themselves from crying bittersweet tears of sorrow when they saw the man trip in front of them, unable to catch them in time.

Good, they thought to themselves. I'm not worth the effort. No one can save me.

* * *

Toriel hadn't let go of Frisk the entire story, her paws idly rubbing over their arms, feeling over each and every scar. On the outside, she seemed calm, but from your seat you could see the goat monster's eyes flaring with rage. Her inner magic, her inner fire ready to burst forth and turn the foul humans into a pile of smoldering ash.

You honestly wish you could join in that process somehow. You'd love to aide in the incineration process. These assholes were going to have a bad time once the barrier was broken. That was a promise.

Something, however, was bothering you about the story. How did Frisk find the path that led to that specific hole? The nearest city was several hours away if you were traveling by foot. The way Frisk had been running, they clearly had enough energy for this last sprint. There wasn't any mention of food or water packed away. Something wasn't adding up in your mind, but you were going to have to grit your teeth and bare it for the time being. The kid's story was done, and they were exhausted from talking for so long. A brief glance at your phone revealed that it was nearly noon. Toriel almost tossed Frisk off of her lap at the way she jumped up, her cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink.

"I am so sorry, but I can't be late to visit my friend. Come my child, and you too Quinn. Let us cleanse ourselves of this terrible business with a visit to my punderful friend!"

You and Frisk both chuckled softly at this declaration, slowly moving to the staircase that lead to the basement. Hopefully you don't have a repeat of last night's terrible sneezing knock knock joke...

* * *

Gaster was shaking with rage from his tiny corner of the Void. He was just as furious as Quinn and Toriel about this tale, and he can't believe he didn't even know it until now! He slammed his fist into the window, partially cracking it before it rapidly repaired itself. He sighed, turning his back to the windows for a brief moment before pressing his magic once again to his soul.

After hearing such rage, he was DETERMINED to finally return to the timeline. He was DETERMINED to make things right. He was DET--

He wasn't expecting to suddenly find himself dropping onto cold snow in front of the house of the skeleton brothers, two feet away from his youngest son and the captain of the royal guard, his closest friend. Gaster couldn't stop himself from muttering into the snow, pawing at it in an attempt to work up the energy to help himself up.

His first chance to see his baby bones as an adult outside of a Window in the Void, and he made a fool of himself.

Just another day for the great W.D. Gaster, it seems...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, you're here. *rubs their eyes to dry them off* Good. Good. I hope you all are having a fantastic day. Next chapter will be full of fun and laughter I promise.
> 
> Edit: Okay so I had one chuckle at the end of the chapter, I didn't want to leave you guys with nothing but sad.


	9. The Pirate, The Goat, and the Skeleton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet Sans face to face, Frisk acts like the most adorable little pirate, AND you arrange dinner plans with the skeleton at their favorite restaurant!
> 
> Oh, and Gaster finally gets to speak with their youngest son for the first time since he appeared from the Void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to a new chapter! No more sads! No more!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and please feel free to leave more comments and kudos and stuff! I really like that, it makes me want to keep going!

Your soul was filled with JOY when Toriel lightly knocked on the door that lead to the rest of the Underground. She seemed so happy, even after such terrible things had been discovered about the child currently held in her arms. She wasn't looking down at them, instead focused on the door itself, which gave you a chance to look up at the kid instead. You were shocked to see... fear in their eyes. Why was this kid afraid of a door? Or were they afraid about the pun master who waited just beyond it?

Was this part of the story they hadn't told them about?

You shrug your mental shoulders as a deep, rumbling chuckle sounded from the other side of the door.

"Hey friend. Looks like you're on time today. PUNctual as always with very few exceptions, eh?" Sans, it seems, was in a rather good mood today. Like he actually got a decent amount of sleep for the first time in a while. Shocking, seeing as he probably had a further distance to walk to get to the nearest bed. At least, that's what he assumed. Did Sans actually sleep next to the door? Was he a plant monster like Flowey, but rooted in one place?

Was Sans actually Flowey, playing a horrible prank on the innocent goat monster?

You were yanked out of your dumb thoughts when Frisk reached out to knock on the door. It was a gentle knock, one that barely reached one's ear. One that was clearly hesitant to make contact with the stone, but was doing it because they needed to.

"Who's there?" Sans asked.

"Aye," replied the child, their voice shaking, but their eyes shining with pure Determination.

"Aye, who?" came the question, just as Frisk winked their eye at you, their voice shifting into the worst possible parody of a pirate you have ever had pleasure to hear.

"Aye 'm sorry lad, I dun't believe 'n ter'ble jokes!" cawed Frisk before rolling back into Toriel's chest, giggling like a mad child. Sans couldn't help but chuckle at that, resting his hand on the door with a soft click of bones.

"Heh, that was pretty funny kiddo. Didn't know you adopted such a scalawag of the seven seas, T."

Toriel's blush was closer to purple than pink, possibly from just how embarrassed she was feeling after such a display from the young ward she was currently housing. "I didn't think they would do that either to be honest!"

"Don't you be tibia honest?" you ask, leaning your right shoulder against the door, wagging your eyebrows and flashing a wide smile.

"Now hold on there pal, bone puns are my shtick, don't go stealin' a master's hard work."

Your smile grows wide, leaning over to brush a hand along Toriel's own, a sudden idea flashing through your mind. "Well, I'm not entirely convinced by this statement, Mr. Voice-Beyond-The-Door. How 'bout we open it and introduce ourselves, face to face."

The voice on the other side of the door stayed quiet for some time before they let out a soft sight, tapping the door with his fingers in a small, rhythmic pattern. "Only if T gives the go-ahead. She's never opened the door, not in the time that I've known her. She never talks about why, though..."

Oh. That's probably because every time a child has passed through the door, they were killed by the king and their soldiers. You really are an idiot, Quinn...

"Alright. But only if you take us to that restaurant you are always talking about, the one with the bartinder."

* * *

Sans couldn't believe what he was hearing. Toriel was going to actually open the door, actually STEP OUT of the Ruins, with Frisk and the anomaly. What was going on? Why was this happening? Why the HELL--

The door slowly slid opened, revealing the trio in all of their glory.

Toriel, former Queen of the Underground, dressed in a beautiful purple gown, this one not in complete shambles like in the more wicked timeline, where he had the pleasure of... serving her as both a punching bag and a bedroom companion.

Frisk, with their striped sweater and their brown eyes. Brown this time. Good, not evil this time, don't need to worry about dunking them.

The second human was holding Tori's hand. Stars, they really did like each other after just one day. Maybe the concept of soulmates wasn't just romantic fiction after all. At least, not in this timeline. The moment Quinn's eyes fell on him, his body seemed to... relax? How? He was a walking, talking, pun-loving skeleton. How could anyone be calm in a moment like this?

"Hey, I guess it's true. You really are a bonehead after all. Guess my fears weren't warranted after all."

* * *

"What'ya mean by that, kiddo?" Sans asked, raising the ridge of bone above his right eye socket as if it were an eyebrow.

"Well," you reply, letting go of the goat monster's hand before hopping forward a few paces, sizing up the somewhat shorter skeleton. "You see, when I first fell down here, I was attacked by a flower named Flowey. I was just a little nervous, seeing as I haven't heard or seen them since yesterday. I had no idea if you were somehow... them. Playing a trick on Tori for years, trying to lure them out of their home to hurt them. But yeah. I'm sorry." You stuck your hand out, a big smile on your face, still balancing on one leg. "Truce?"

Sans couldn't help but chuckle, slipping his hand out of the pocket of his jacket before gripping your hand. You barely register the feeling of rubber on your palm before the loud, wet crack of a whoopee-cushion filled the area. Toriel and Frisk couldn't  hold back from laughter, the pair falling backwards, away from the snow that littered the ground. You stood there, mock pain filling your face.

"I offered you a hand of truce, and you do this to me. Say it isn't so, Skeleman. Say it isn't so!" You dramatically collapse onto your knee, thankful of your amazing sense of balance as you gaze up at the cave ceiling. "Why doth thou betray my trust! Why!"

"Heh, didn' think you'd be one for dramatics, Quinn."

You smile and bounce back up to your foot, leaning against the skeleton's shoulder (the fluff of his hoodie was so soft!) before hopping back a step to pose. "I'll have you know I spent -years- trying to perfect my acting. That was before I found out that wrestlers don't need to have the best acting skills in the world, so I just did what I would have done in the first place. Look somewhat focused on the fight at hand, barely talk, kick them in the face and deliver the Greatest Shooting Star Press you have ever seen!"

Sans' eye-lights flashed slightly at the name of his finishing maneuver, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "A what now?"

"Oh. Uh. Shooting Star Press. It's the name of my old finishing move before I lost my leg. A top rope, front facing dive with a back flip. Here..." You hold up your hands, placing one hand on it's side, while your middle and index finger rest on top of the overturned hand. "Imagine that this hand is me, and this hand is the ropes I'm standing on. A moonsault is a backflip facing away from the middle of the ring. A SSP, on the other hand, is a backflip with you facing TOWARDS the ring. But, you don't move backwards. Instead, you leap as high as you can...and push yourself forward as you flip..." As you speak, you demonstrate the movements with your fingers. "Normally, you want your opponent to be close to the corner, so you don't have to send yourself too far out, but my first and only match had me leap all the way to the center of it. I swear, people thought it was the coolest one they've ever seen, but I felt like it wasn't that solid of a hit."

Sans drank everything in, a small smile spreading across his features. Odd, seeing as his skull seemed to bare a permanent smile anyway. It must be the magic he emits from his body that you're feeling, rather than an actual shift on his face. "That's pretty cool. But kinda dangerous. Why would you do that for a living? Is that why--"

"Cuttin' ya off there, friend. Nah, I didn't lose my leg during a match. I was shot trying to save a woman who was being attacked by some thugs. Instead of calling the police, I went barreling into a confrontation head-first, and lost a piece of myself in the process. The woman lived, thank god, but I will never be the same. Doesn't matter though, because that gunshot led me here. To Toriel. To Frisk. And now, it's led me to you. So why don't I go grab my leg and we go get some grub in your home town. I bet Tori would love the break from cooking for at least one night, right?"

Toriel's smile grew at this, slowly nodding her head. "Of course! We'll grab a couple of things. Sans, why don't you and Frisk get to know each other while Quinn and I get things situated up in the house?" Sans nods in agreement with this plan before you and Tori head upstairs to fetch jackets and your leg. You swear you can hear the skeleton monster talking to Frisk as you round the corner... something along the lines of...

"So... what went wrong last time?"

* * *

Frisk was shaking a little, mostly from the cold, but also because of the question Sans had asked them.

"I... I messed up. I really messed up. A-after the date with Alphys, I got a call from Papyrus... or something that sounded like him at least. It was weird, because I could SEE him jogging laps with Alphys just before the call. They told me to go back to the lab, to check up on her, but I ignored it because I thought it was too weird. Too sudden. I had to fight Asgore again... I reset the moment the last blow connected. I'm sorry!"

Sans sighed and rubbed his face with his left hand, shaking his head. "Look kiddo, it's okay. We'll do better this time around. Just wasn't expecting this Quinn fella, you know? This is a new anomaly, and we both know that. For whatever reason, Tori's acting like this is her one true soulmate, which is strange, because in every other timeline, either myself or Asgore ends up as that soulmate. I don't feel that connection this time around like I have in the past, which can be a good thing in the long run. I can't bring myself to fall in love with her again... not after that god damn timeline with the stupid gold tooth..."

Frisk shivered a little at that, squeezing their arms around themselves, staring at the skeleton's pink slippers. "I don't know what this means either... but all I know is that Alphys' lap holds the key to our freedom, somehow. Is there anything in there that I might have missed?"

"Now that you say that, I think you might have. Did she keep the bathroom sign up next to that sliding door?" With Frisk's nod, Sans swore under his breath. "I knew it. Gaster's lab. The key is in the True Lab. That wasn't a bathroom, the sign is just there to hide the power switch for the door. Damnit..."

Frisk's eyes grew wide at the mention of Gaster...

Mainly because it wasn't a garbled mess this time. It was always a garbled mix of letters and numbers when the name was mentioned in other timelines...

"Sans... did you just say your dad's name?"

"Huh... I did, didn't I? Does that mean what I think it means? Is he alive this timeline?"

The pair stared at each other for a few brief seconds before the sound of footsteps came to their ears.

"Alright, Sans. It's time to make our way to Snowdin!" exclaimed a chipper Toriel, all smiles as she hands Frisk a much warmer jacket and a pair of gloves. You, on the other hand, were already dressed up and ready to go into the snow, having brought warm clothes with you in your mad dash of packing. You also had your leg strapped in place, which didn't seem to throw the skeleton off as much as you thought it would.

"Time to go, bone boy!" you shout, stepping into the cool snowy forest once more, the adventure ahead filling your soul with absolute JOY.

Frisk and Sans share a look, knowing full well that their conversation was not yet over. The True Lab. Gaster's old stomping grounds. They were going to have to go inside, find out how they are going to save everyone, all while keeping you and Toriel safe in the process.

This was going to be a bumpy ride.

* * *

Gaster sat on the lumpy green sofa, idly playing with the hem of his turtleneck as the Captain of the Royal Guard, a strong-willed fish monster named Undyne, glared at him with a single eye.

"Let me get this straight," she asks, rubbing her chin with a gauntlet covered hand. "You're telling me that you are the former royal scientist, that you were responsible for building the CORE, AND you're the father of my best friend and his lazy ass older brother?"

"That is correct, Miss Undyne. I swear to you that I am telling the truth. What purpose would there be for me to lie about something like this?"

The younger skeleton brother, Papyrus, idly fidgeted in the kitchen, unsure of where else to stand. The last thing he wanted was to get struck by a randomly thrown spear by his boss and best friend. "UNDYNE, MAYBE WE SHOULD WAIT FOR MY BROTHER TO RETURN. IT WOULD BE BETTER THIS WAY. I MAY HAVE BEEN TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER THEM, AFTER ALL! NYEH!" Papyrus quickly ducked behind the small wall that hid the trash can from view to avoid the fish monster's glare.

"UGH, I hate it when you're right, NERD. And you!" she shouts, pointing a single finger at the doctor. "YOU are going to stay right here while I go find Sans. UNDERSTOOD!"

With a quick nod, Undyne rushed out the door, helmet firmly situated on her head as she moved through the town. Gaster and Papyrus waited a good thirty seconds before the younger moved forward, rubbing his gloved hands together.

"Are you... really my father?" Papyrus asked, a lot softer than his normal speaking voice.

"Yes my son, I am. You and Sans both. You were such wonderful children. I never meant to leave you... It was my own darn laziness that did me in, too. I forgot to tie my shoes..."

"NYEH HEH HEH! No wonder my lazy bones brother wears slippers! And no wonder he insists I wear these cool 'velcro' boots instead of boots with strings and buckles! He didn't want us to fall and hurt ourselves! He is such a good brother, even when is being lazy!"

Gaster couldn't help but smile with pride at the display. Papyrus had never lost hope for a bright and better future. He was raised right. He just wish he could have been the one to raise him instead of forcing such a job on his eldest son. He slowly sinks further onto the sofa, closing his eye sockets to rest.

"NYEH! Not you too! Why are you napping! Is this where the lazybones gets this from?! Why must I be the only one who isn't lazy!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd ya'll enjoy that? Next chapter is going to be lots of fun! *Spear of Justice plays in the background somewhere...*
> 
> Also I made a tumblr account but it's not fully set up? I don't really know How To Tumblr, but I'll figure it out eventually. I'll probably end up answering questions there if you Ask em, and I'll put up chapter updates there too? And if you draw stuff I'll share them there?
> 
> Oh and I guess I'll post other writing stuff too... I do have quite a few story ideas I want to write...


	10. I Used To Be An Adventurer Like You...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself on the road to Snowdin Town to have a wonderful meal at Grillby's, but danger lurks just beyond the snow poffs...
> 
> Let's just hope no one gets hurt, yes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy our first true encounter with a monster who's willing to FIGHT!

Snowdin, as it turns out, was one of the most interesting places you will ever see in your entire life. The trees were massive and strong, the snow was fluffy and pure, and although the area was rather cold, you weren't uncomfortable. Frisk had opted to keep the gloves off for the time being, letting the flakes of snow fall on their hands, gazing at them before their body heat caused them to fade into droplets of cold water. Sans and Toriel seemed content on keeping your party on the main path, mainly to keep everyone safe from potential roaming monsters. According to Sans, a good portion of the teenage population loved to roam around in the woods, free of any sort of supervision.

Along the route were several sentry stations, but each and every one of them was empty at the moment. One of them had a hastily written note about being out to lunch, which meant that you weren't having to worry about anything...

Until the clank of metal boots came crashing down the path near the Ball game.

The boots were just a small piece to a full set of black metal armor that the soldier currently wore. They stopped, a single glowing yellow eye fixated on the group in front of them. Noticing Sans, hey hurried forward, pressing a finger firmly into their sternum.

"YOU!" they, or rather she? shouted, the eye flashing with a fury that seemed unnecessary. "I've been looking all over this place for you, PUNK! Who are these pe- wait a second." Her eye landed on Toriel, causing the goat monster to protectively squeeze Frisk shoulders. "Queen Toriel?! You're still alive?! Jeeze, where the heck have you been for the last 800 or so years!" The knight quickly pulled off her wicked looking helmet, revealing the blue-scaled fish monster's face. No wonder you only saw one eye before, the other was covered in a patch.

"You must be my ex-husband's new Captain. As you are probably well aware, I have been in exile for quite some time in the Ruins, tending to the monsters who had stayed in Home rather than move to the rest of the Underground. I also gave my child a proper burial, rather than forcing them to rot in a coffin next to the throne room like a sack of waste." Your blood ran cold with just how cold Toriel's tone had grown since she started speaking. She was clearly not in the mood to deal with the Captain of the Royal Guard.

"Well pardon me for bein' shocked! Asgore never really told me where you were, and after you broke your bond he didn't even know if you were alive still! But, now that you're here, I guess we should discuss the whole... uh... human thing, yeah? I mean you have two of them right there. We just need one more soul, but having a spare could always b-"

Sans stepped forward, his tone shifting to something more dangerous. " **Y o u  w i l l  l e a v e  t h e m  a l o n e.** "

This was getting out of hand, and fast. Before Frisk could step forward to try and resolve the conflict (how, you wonder?), you move in front of the skeleton yourself, slowly eyeing up the fish monster. You clicked your tongue across the roof of your mouth before waving the others off to the side to give yourself some room. "What's your name?" you asked, trying to mask your own personal fear.

The woman smirked, flashing rows of wicked teeth. Multiple rows, like a shark. "The name's Undyne, punk! And what, you're gonna hand your own soul over? That's real brave of ya!" Before she could do anything, you lift your hand up, wagging your index finger.

"Oh no, that's not how this is going to work, Undyne. This may come as a shock to you, but on the surface, I am a two time Olympic gold medalist. In Kickboxing and Judo, and even had a stint in professional wrestling, winning a tournament match called the Baron Brawl. How about a little sparing match. You against me, no armor, no magic. Just two trained fighters. If I win, you have to let us stay down here peacefully while we figure out a way to break the barrier. You win, you can have my soul. The Kid doesn't get touched either way though. Got it?"

Toriel gave a short gasp, reaching out towards her friend... or was it a soul mate? She would know, but you weren't exactly in the know of such things as of yet. Sans and Frisk both stopped the goat monster from interfering as Undyne gave a soft chuckle. In a few moments the fish monster was stripped out of her armor, revealing firm abs and wicked looking scars.

"Alright PUNK, show me what you got!"

* * *

Gaster sat up with a start, glancing around the room in surprise. He calmed down at the sound of his son pacing around the kitchen, clearly preparing something on the stove. The former scientist rose to his full height, leaning back to pop his back a few times. It felt nice to have a normal spine again instead of void ooze dripping from his bones. Carefully, Gaster moved into the kitchen, peaking over the other skeleton's shoulder in an attempt to see what was being prepared in the pot.

"OH! Hello there! I see you have come to examine THE GREAT PAPYRUS prepare his world famous spaghetti!" the young chef exclaimed, stars practically bouncing around the black voids that were his eye sockets.

"Why yes, yes I did. After so long away from you and your brother, I am curious to see how things have changed. You were so little when I... fell. I was rather surprised you had decided to learn how to cook."

"Well of course! Undyne has been training me in the art of cooking so that I may one day join the Royal Guard, like her! Isn't that wonderful?! I will be the best spagettore in all the world! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Gaster couldn't help but smile, slowly rubbing the skeleton's shoulders as he peaked down at the boiling water, thankful that he could actually spend some quality time with his child. He wasn't going to mess this up.

Not again.

* * *

You were a little nervous about facing off with Undyne. She was a lot taller than you were, which you could use to your advantage if she overstepped, but she was also in peak physical condition... or at least, that's what her form suggested. Once you had shrugged off your own jacket and shirt, the captain couldn't help but whistle. You had kept in shape as best you could, but it was nowhere near where you once were in your fighting prime.

"Not bad, human! You must be pretty strong! Who trained you? Was it an alien warrior princess?" Undyne asked with actual, genuine curiosity. You stopped mid stretch at this, trying your best to keep a straight face.

"Uh, no. No alien warrior princesses involved. Like I said before, I trained from a very young age to be an Olympian. I had many coaches, all of them pushed me to my limit. The last time I fought was over seven years ago, but I never lost my fighting spirit."

"Well, GOOD! I like a challenge!" With a roar, Undyne charged forward, arms splayed out wide. You chuckle, waiting until the last second before rolling underneath the arms, snatching the fish monster's foot, causing her to flop forward into the snow. You back off, giving a small bow as she pounds the ground with her fist. "I'm going to get you for this, PUNK!"

"Try me, Captain. I can do this all day if I need to."

"NGAAAAAAAAAH!"

The back and forth only lasted for thirty minutes before both of you were significantly winded. It was time to end this. With a burst of speed, you dropped back a step, swinging your good leg up, aimed for her chin. She dodged out of the way just in time, kicking out your false limb, causing you to buckle. In her battle-induced rage, she summoned one of her magical spears...

And jabbed it right through the prosthetic limb. Right where the knee would be.

Everything slowed down for a moment, with Undyne's shocked expression clearly the most priceless thing you have ever seen. Frisk, Toriel, Sans... they just watched on in awe.

You, the cheeky bastard that you were, reached down and unhooked the limb from your body, slowly sliding away from it, revealing the plastic. With a warm smile, you lunge up, wrapping the stunned monster in a front face-lock, bringing her to the ground as you wrapped your entire body around her. Before you knew it, the fight was over. She had broken the rules, in front of everyone. You were safe for the time being. You let go, panting roughly as you the monster glared up at you one last time.

"Well, Undyne... I used to be a fighter like you. Then I took a magical energy spear to the knee."

Poor Frisk couldn't hold back any longer, falling backwards into the snow in a fit of laughter. At least someone got the reference.

* * *

"My son, this food is rather good, but shouldn't we save some of it for Sans and Undyne? I mean, it would only be fair," Gaster said, trying his best to spoon back most of the spaghetti back into the warm pot.

"NONSENSE! They shall receive a DIFFERENT batch of my artisan spaghetti whenever they arrive! This batch is just for you! After all, this is special FATHER SPAGHETTI! Only for the greatest of fathers!"

Gaster couldn't help but smile at Papyrus's antics. It was such a wonderful experience, helping prepare the meal. Gentle suggesting to not put in random ingredients like glitter and bananas. Life was good. The meal was even edible! Then again, the older skeleton hadn't eaten since the night before his accident. Fork in hand, the former scientist enjoyed his first meal back home, only glancing up when his son sat down with his own plate.

Life was going to be wonderful here, even if they were still trapped for the time being. It shouldn't be too long now anyway, not with two humans down here. They knew Frisk would find a way to break the barrier, and the other human, the one who was sleeping in Toriel's chair... they seemed nice enough.

The peace was broken rather suddenly as the the door slammed open, revealing a rather irate Captain, followed by his eldest son.

Followed closely behind by the former Queen of the Underground, a human child, and an under-dressed human adult, hopping on one foot while leaning on the goat monster for support.

So much for a nice, relaxing lunch with his youngest son. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on, did you really think I was going to have someone die in this portion of the fic? Of course not. You should know by now I hate doing terrible things to my characters. I mean just look at the title of the chapter!
> 
> You guys have been freaking amazing. At the time I was writing this chapter I had reached 450 hits, 30 kudos, and a boatload of comments (although to be fair I was a good number of them myself but still).
> 
> Keep them coming! Talk with me, send me ideas! I might even write a one-off if I like your suggestion, or even an actual chapter to the story if the suggestion is REALLY good! There's a semi-fixed path that the story will take, but if you want to add more to it, then go ahead!


	11. The Man,  The Myth, The Legend Known Only As Gaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After your scuffle with Undyne, you and the rest of the group make your way into Snowdin Town. Waiting for you is Sans' younger brother, but also his long-lost father. Things get awkward for a few moments...
> 
> And something is stirring, watching from the edges...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Broke 500 hits. You guys are just... just the best. Seriously. Thank you for giving this story a chance. Thank you for at least taking a peak. Thank you for every kudo, every bookmark, every...well, everything!
> 
> On that note, I started a second story last night called A Wolf's Cry, a first person Sans/OC-type-thing? I guess? Anyway, it's about a werewolf and stuff. It'll be great. Take a look some time!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

The mad dash through the forests of Snowdin was a wild rush for you and your growing group of friends. After the incident with the spear, Undyne had scooped up the plastic leg and, along with her armor, stored it... somewhere. You didn't quite catch the explanation, something about her phone? It didn't matter too much to you, there were more important things to worry about. Like the fact that, in the fish monster's mad dash to get back to 'Papyrus' and their 'private training slash cooking lesson', your shirt and jacket had been abandoned next to the random unplugged microwave that sat next to a plate of frozen spaghetti. Thankfully, Toriel had decided to stay close to you the entire trip, keeping her arm wrapped around your own as they traveled.

"Sorry about this, Tori. I should have at least grabbed my jacket. I loved that thing," you say, frowning as you gazed down at yourself.

"Oh, do not worry about this, Quinn dear. I'm rather enjoying the display. You keep yourself very healthy and strong, and you didn't once try to truly harm Undyne's Soul during the fight itself!" came the reply from the goat monster.

"Huh? Why would I attack her Soul? There was no need to try and KILL her, Tori. She's tasked with taking human souls to your ex, and I wasn't going to let her harm the kid. Got to put my skills to the test as well, and my gamble worked. She broke the rules, so we're safe for the time being. My only regret is the loss of my leg. Unless you wanna just carry me everywhere... I rather enjoyed that last night."

Tori's cheeks grew heated, covering them as best she could with her free hand. "Y-you really did? It wasn't strange? I would assume that human men would prefer their women to be smaller, more delicate creatures. At least, that's how it seemed when I was last on the surface."

You raised a brow at this. "Nah, not really. I don't care about how tall you are, or your age, or that you're a monster, T. I just feel... warm around you, ya know? I feel like I'm where I need to be. Never really felt like this before... maybe it's Soul related?" You leave the question hanging for a moment before looking ahead to the rest of the group. Frisk and Sans were busy having a small chit-chat... with their hands? Since when did Frisk know sign language? Since when did SANS of all people? Why were they signing to each other? Was the conversation that private?

Undyne was focused on the task at hand, carefully deactivating the various puzzles and traps along the way. These were set up by Papyrus, the younger of the skeleton brothers who lived in the nearby town. Your group was going to stop by the house and grab them before you poured into Grillby's for a late lunch/early dinner, hoping that the extra monster would help mask the fact that there were two humans with them. The only monster in the town, other than Sans, who knew what a human looked like was the bartender himself, but with enough convincing it should be safe enough...

When you entered the town, the cold air was starting to get to you. You buried your face into Toriel's chest, blushing brightly all the while. It kept your face warm, and no one seemed to mind them any notice. The tall goat monster didn't seem to mind either, the clawed hand slowly rubbing the back of your head. A few moments of walking more, and Undyne practically kicked the door off of its hinges, swinging herself into the house. As the rest of you entered the house, you pulled your head away from your friend's chest.

There was Papyrus, standing at the table and smiling wide.

And a second skeleton monster, looking at the group in shock.

You opened your mouth to say something, to start the process of getting answers, but you never got the chance. Sans was already in the process dashing into the other room, practically lunging himself at the dark-clothed skeleton.

"P-pops?! H-how are you here?! What's going on?!  **W H E R E  H A V E  Y O U  B E E N !** "

The shift in Sans' tone was rather jarring to say the least. His shoulders were shaking as he clung to his... father? Well they were a skeleton, dressed in dark clothes, probably as tall, if not an inch or two taller, than Papyrus. He appeared to have wicked looking scars on his face, one of them giving his eye an almost permanent droop. It didn't seem to hamper his vision, however. Both of his sockets possessed an eerie dark purple speck for pupils, similar to Sans' white eyelights. At the moment, however, they weren't dots.

They were shaped like small hearts.

"Sans... oh Sans, my boy. I'm so sorry, so very very sorry..." the man said, rocking his eldest son gently in his arms as the younger son joined in the small pile of hugs. Undyne couldn't get rid of her massive smile at the scene, Frisk was staring on in awe, and Toriel was... not looking at them. She was looking down at you with a warm grin.

"Dear, we should get you something to wear. You're going to get sick at this rate."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Let's go ahead and do that. Hey, uh, Undyne. Could you maybe go back to the Microwave area and grab my shirt and jacket? Should be able to just borrow something for the time being here. Once the family reunion is wrapped up and whatnot."

The fish monster nodded, moving towards the door and quickly shutting it behind her, leaving the rest of you to revel in the moment.

* * *

Flowey wasn't pleased.

The soulless little buttercup was currently sitting on the border of Snowdin and Waterfall, staring at the house of the skeleton brothers. Not only had the other human almost killed him in a single blow, but he was somehow befriending all of the major monsters -in a single day- instead of killing THEM. Why. Why WHy WHY WHY WHY!

The flower lashed out, slamming one of his summoned vines against the wall of the cavern, his face twisted in an ugly snarl. This timeline was going so horribly wrong! Frisk should have gotten frustrated by now! They should have been on a murderous rampage! After all, it was kill or be kill in this world. His little deception in the previous timeline had prevented them from going to the Lab, which was perfect. But now?

But now...

Now Frisk new that the Lab was the key. They would befriend every monster, go on those _stupid dates_ with all of their friends, then find out the truth about him and Chara. He lashed out again, managing to somehow strike a stray Moldsmal hard enough to turn it to dust almost instantly. Killing had always felt so nice...

But now, he couldn't feel satisfied.

He had to stop Frisk, and this other human, before they break the barrier.

He wasn't going to lose his favorite playthings.

This game was going to continue, forevermore!

With that, he sunk into the earth, making his way towards New Home. He had to prepare even faster this time, who knows how quickly Frisk would befriend everyone.

* * *

Sans finally pulled away from the cuddle-hug-pile with his father and brother long enough to fetch you a spare shirt and one of his jackets. You could tell he had a pep in his step from his joy. According to Gaster, the father, he had an accident a long while back. As he told the story, you lifted up your hand to cut him off.

"So let me get this straight. You were in such a rush to get home, you forgot to tie your shoes. Correct?" At the small nod, you cracked a rather wicked looking smile of your own. "So you didn't even bother to, I dunno, tuck your laces into the shoe itself? S'pretty easy fix if you don't wanna time them."

The look on Gaster's face was priceless.

"I am such a moron. You are right, I could have easily... So much heartache, so much pain. An entire childhood stolen away because I didn't think straight. That does it. Today, I make it up to both of you." The skeleton suddenly rises to his feet, puffing out his sternum. "Tonight, we go out to eat!... Um, that's something a father does with their sons, yes? Go out to eat rather than cook something at home?"

You and Toriel share a look at each other while Frisk covers their face with both hands. You finally turn to the eldest sibling, eyes bright. "So I guess that means he's paying for our meal and drinks and Grillby's huh?"

Sans chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, sounds good to me. Maybe I can convince him to pay off my tab." He flashes a wicked grin up at Gaster, who gives possibly the most terrifying Disappointed Dad face you have ever seen in your entire life.

"Why have you not been paying my friend for your food and drink, son?"

"Well... uh..." Sans looked like he was going to melt into a pile of blue bones, right then and there, with how hard he was blushing. "I--it kinda started after you passed away, dad. He helped raise us, fed us and stuff. I swear it's not because I'm la-"

"Don't even bother brother! We know that you are telling a lie when you say you're not lazy! Even our FATHER is a lazybones! Which means, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, shall try my best to get both of your bones shaking with excitement for our new adventures! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Papyrus, never change, you think to yourself as everyone rises to their feet. Undyne would meet everyone at the bar, it'll be a great time overall.

You could've sworn you saw Gaster's cheeks turn purple for some reason. Probably nothing you should worry about.

Probably. 

 


	12. A Tender Moment At Grillby's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the rest of your group are finally getting something to eat. Gaster gets flustered. You and Tori get flustered. Grillby gets flustered.
> 
> Basically, everyone is going to be a flustered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the story! First off, big thank you to the continued support! Everyone who's clicked on the story and whatnot, you guys are the best.
> 
> This section of the story (meeting the rest of the Underground) has been pretty rough on me, because I really don't like having a ton of characters all interacting with each other at once. I can handle one on one or a trio of people, but now we're getting into massive piles and it's just WHO DOES A TALK NOW.
> 
> Don't worry though. This chapter will have some one on one moments with the various cast members. Should be really interesting!

Grillby's bar was a lot larger on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside. There were plenty of open seats, but none of the booths would fit everyone inside comfortable. You all decided to split up to eat, then join up again later at the home of the skelebros.

This gave you an excuse to have some one on one time with Toriel.

After helping her into her seat (you both decided on a little table in the corner furthest from everyone rather than a booth, mainly due to the fact Toriel was having a hard time sliding into any of the booths present) you hopped around to the other side of the table, carefully sliding into place. You flash a big smile at the goat monster, who returns it with one of her own. Yes, those teeth are still large and sharp. No, you're not afraid of them. Why would you be? She's still Toriel, she wouldn't hurt a fly!

"This place is rather lovely, don't you think?" she asks, laying a hand down on the table in front of you.

"Yes, it is. This place is way nicer than any of the bars I've ever been to. Most of them are run down or appear in really bad places in the city they're in. But this place? This place is inviting, warm, family friendly..." As you mention this, you glance over at Sans and Frisk, who both had decided to sit at the bar itself. The bartender, a man completely made of fire by the looks of it, was laying down baskets of fries and a glass bottle of ketchup. A bottle of ketchup that, after Sans helped Frisk pour a little of it onto their fries, tipped back and gulped down the rest of like it was booze.

You couldn't stop yourself from gagging slightly.

"What's wrong, Quinn? Did something happen? Are you getting sick?" The worry in Tori's voice was filling your soul with so much JOY you couldn't believe it hadn't of burst free of your physical form and pressed itself against the monster in a tiny heart-hug. Or something else that cute.

"Nah, it's alright... I'm not gonna get sick that easily. Just happened to catch Sans with an interesting habit is all." You place your hand on top of Toriel's warm hand, squeezing it gently before lacing your fingers into her own. "I'm sorry about the whole 'fight' thing with Undyne. I just... I couldn't let her kill Frisk, I had to do something. I'm just glad I guessed right."

Toriel's expression shifted from adoring worry to something different. Something... darker. "What do you mean, guessed right?" She was... upset? You quickly move to explain.

"I just had a feeling that Undyne wouldn't exactly respond to any of us begging and pleading for mercy, ya know? My thought was 'if I challenge her to a fight and something, she'll at least listen to me long enough to leave the kid alone'. Turned out alright in the end, just wasn't expecting her to break the rules by using magic. Ugh, gonna need a crutch or something if I'm going to be moving around without my leg any time soon. As much as I love hopping around or being carried by you, the last thing I want is to be a burden on you."

"You could never be a burden on me, dear. I promise. Just please, promise me you won't get into any more scuffles while you're down here. I don't want you accidentally triggering a Confrontation and dying... or for you to accidentally kill something. Undyne is a highly trained warrior, possibly trained by Asgore. Other monsters would not be so lucky. You could easily kill them if you were of a mind to do so."

This had taken quite a dark turn now hasn't it? You sigh and nod your head, bringing the goat monster's hand up to your lips, placing a small kiss on the fingers. "Do not worry, love. I'm all done with fighting. Now I can spend my time trying to learn more about you."

You weren't expecting Toriel to simply lean over the table and kiss you. You weren't expecting it, but it wasn't unwelcome. You closed your eyes and relaxed. That is, until, someone cleared their throat to get your attention. With a deep crimson blush you pull away from the tender kiss, only to find yourself staring up at the fire monster who had been tending the bar. They stared down at you, a little line of white flame marking their smile. The glasses they wore masked the yellow slits that served as eyes from a distance, but up close they were easy to see. You found yourself blushing even harder as they glanced between the two of you.

"It is good to see you again, Toriel. I was afraid we would never see you leave the Ruins," the bartender said, his voice reminding you of a crackling campfire.

"Yes, it's nice to see you as well, Grillby. Let me introduce you to my s--erm, friend, Quinn." You narrow your eyes a little at the goat monster, wondering what she had been about to say before correcting herself.

"A pleasure to meet you, Quinn. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to gaze at a human face to face."

"O-oh, yeah I bet it has. Look, if the kid and I are making things uncomfortable for you, we can go..." you stammer, not wanting the god-knows-how-old fire monster an enemy on your first day outside of the Ruins.

Grillby couldn't help but chuckle, light pops of fire escaping from his mouth. "Do not be afraid of that, Quinn. You and the child are welcome here, so long as you do not harm anyone. I may not be a member of the Royal Guard anymore, but let's just say I never lost touch with my swordsmanship."

Toriel quickly rose a hand to defuse the situation, placing an order for both of you before sighing with relief at the retreating flame. Grillby seemed like a nice person to you, but they were yet another example of someone who had seen the Surface, someone who would want to see it once more. You really needed to find a way to break this barrier.

It was just going to be rough.

* * *

Sans and Frisk sat quietly with their fries, waiting for Grillby to walk away from the bar to take everyone else's orders. Normally they would be able to talk freely about the Resets, but with Toriel and Papyrus in the bar, it was too risky. Not to mention Quinn, the anomaly of his timeline. What was with them? Why were they so interested in the former Queen? They hadn't known each other for a full twenty four hours and they were sharing PDA moments like kissing and holding hands? Sans was quickly pulled out of his thoughts by the kid next to them, letting his eyelights fall onto the frowning face.

"What's up, kiddo? Something wrong?"

"I... I need to talk to you some time. Alone. We could use the basement lab at your place, that's super private, right?" Sans couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the exchange that lead Frisk to discovering that place.

"Sure thing, Legendary Fartmaster Frisk." A simple wink of his eye socket sent Frisk into a fit of giggles, curling up into themselves to try and stop the shaking. After a while, Frisk stopped smiling, leaning over to the skeleton to whisper.

"I told Quinn about my past. Kinda. I didn't tell them everything, like about the resets. But I think they know I lied about some stuff." That gave Sans pause, his smile sinking a little.

"What'ya mean? Your past? You mean back up top? Kid, you've never told any of us about your past."

"It just hurts to talk about, okay? I didn't even tell them the whole story. J-just about not liking dresses and stuff."

Sans let out a soft sigh, patting the human child on the back lightly, letting his smile return to it's full size, masking his worry as best he can. "It's okay kiddo. You can talk to any of us about this when you're ready. Let's finish up these fries."

Frisk nodded and returned to his meal, deep in thought. They were going to have to tell everyone at some point. They just hoped that they wouldn't be angry.

* * *

Papyrus and Gaster were busy looking at the menu when Undyne came pounding into the restaurant. After flinging Quinn's jacket and shirt at the stunned human (who had been busy holding the goat monster's hands and quietly talking to them about something, possibly about the surface), the fish monster dashed towards Papyrus, practically flinging herself into the booth next to him.

"Woo, new record time on that one! So! What's up, PUNK!" Undyne said, rather loudly. Gaster needed to get used to the volume of each monster sitting across from him, that's for sure. Granted, it was completely silent in the Void before, so he would have to get used to -any- kind of sound.

"Nothing, Captain Undyne," Gaster says. "I'm just looking at the menu. It seems that there is quite a number of things on here."

"Normally I would disagree! This place is a grease trap! NYEH! But, I guess I can tolerate it for my brother's sake! He loves it here!" Papyrus shouts, somehow even louder than Undyne did. Gaster quickly pulled away from the booth, flashing an apologetic smile towards his son and the Captain before moving towards the bar. Everyone was paired up nicely, a slight feeling of dread filling the former scientist's Soul. He crumbled down in his seat, resting his chin on top of his hands, the point of it actually sliding into one of the palm holes. A reminder of his drive to save a species of monster that had difficulty breeding. A reminder that his sons were healthy and well, because of a sacrifice he had made.

He stirred when a glass slid next to his head, the amber liquid sloshing slightly from the movement. Gaster's purple eyelights carefully lifted up, spying the bartender gaze down at him. That white smile was even wider than it had been with Quinn earlier.

"You came back."

Those three words were enough to make Gaster blush a deep purple, carefully sitting up, his hands and fingers nervously twitching as he found himself rambling in his native tongue for half a second.

"I... didn't mean to leave, Grillby. I wanted to come back home so badly, I just..."

"Forgot to tie your shoes?" Grillby finished, chuckling softly as the purple threatened to consume Gaster's entire skull. Meekly, he picked up the glass, taking a small sip. Even though it had been ages since he had tasted the beverage, Gaster's eyes grew wide.

"You remembered?"

"Of course I did, Gas. You think I could forget my sweet little sugarskull's favorite drink?"

Gaster clutched at his sternum through his turtleneck, trying to stop his Soul from popping out right then and there. He wasn't sure just what kind of shape it was in at the moment, having only been about two hours since reappearing in the timeline. "You still... you still call me sugarskull after everything? I was... I was DEAD Grillz. You could have easily have moved on, you could have easily forgotten about me, you could have-"

The bartender slammed a hand down on the counter, stopping the skeleton from rambling too long. His gaze slowly moved down to the hand. His Soul threatening to pull itself out once more.

Grillby still had their ring. The ring Gaster had made using some spare materials he didn't need anymore after finishing the CORE. Something that Grillby could actually wear on his finger without it melting away.

"You kept it, after all this time." Gaster's sockets filled with purple-tinted tears, his shoulders shaking. The flame reached out, pulling the skeleton closer, resting his cheek on top of the skull.

"Of course I did. We may not be properly Bonded, but you know how things are. Even if we kept denying it all of those years ago on the surface. We were always meant to be. I never forgot. Not even when you 'died' like the others." That made the scientist look up in horror.

If Grillby was able to remember him even while he was out of the timeline itself, did that mean...

Grillby, sensing the incoming question, gave a small glance towards the child sitting next to Sans, who was busy flinging the last of his fries towards Sans' open mouth.

"Yes. I remember. Everything."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, gonna just add this here.
> 
> Thank you mom for giving this story a chance. Thank you mom for not being judgmental, for giving the story a chance.
> 
> See you next chapter.


	13. Back On The Surface...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We now take a look at what is currently happening on the surface! Your disappearance hasn't gone unnoticed by an old friend...
> 
> Also, more time with Toriel. Because this is a story about Toriel, after all~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new (old?) challenger! You think I was just going to introduced a named character all the way back in chapter four and never use them ever again ever? Not at all!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Viktor was rather bored without Quinn to drink and talk to. The one constant for the veteran wrestler had always been calm, steady tones of his bald friend. A guy he trained to wrestle, a man who was cut down before he could have a chance to shine. A man he highly respected.

That's why, at four in the morning, Viktor Hannah was staring down at his phone, waiting for his friend to pick up. Four rings later, he hung up and tried again. There was no use trying to get a hold of him via voice mail or texts. Quinn wasn't one for texting, and he rarely ever checked his messages. You either caught him when he was paying attention to the phone, or you didn't. End of story.

"Come on, damn it," Viktor muttered to himself, running his fingers through his long hair. "Pick up your damn phone. I know you're up still..." With a loud huff, the blond man rose up to his feet, grabbing his jacket from the coat hanger by his bedroom door and slipping it on. His next target of inquiry would be Quinn's agent, someone who possibly had contact with the former Olympian on his current whereabouts. Two rings later, and the tired sounding man whispered in his ear.

"Mornin' Viktor, what's got you callin' me this early?" they said, clearly unimpressed by the fact they had been woken up so early.

"'Sup, man. Listen, I'll keep it quick. Did Quinn go anywhere special? A place that would get a bad signal? Tried callin' just now and he was nowhere around."

The agent scoffed at this, the shuffle of sheets signalling him sitting up in the bed. "As a matter of fact, I think that may be the case, Vik. Quinn rented a cabin up on Mount Ebbot, said he needed to 'get away' from the noise for a while. Probably has his phone shut off for the time being. Why? You gonna try and get him another job at your school?"

"Nah, just wanna chat with an old friend. Got an address on the cabin?" Viktor asked. He was going to drop by, say hi, and bail. If Quinn had retreated up to THAT mountain, he knew that his friend was in a much darker place. He just hoped that Quinn didn't make the decision to climb up further than the posted signs and jump off something too tall. Quinn wasn't a quitter, but anyone in a dark enough place...

It wouldn't be a pretty sight overall.

* * *

The drive to Mount Ebbot was nerve-wracking for Viktor. There was no way he would willingly drive up to this place at any other time, but right now? Right now he needed to do this. He needed to go check on his friend. The way people were talking about a disappearance related to some rich family's daughter made him panic even more. If that girl had gone running up the mountain, then Quinn may have tried to stop them.

Quinn's car was still in front of the cabin.

Pulling to a stop next to the beat up, modified sedan (So Quinn could have better control of the break with his false leg), Viktor leaped out of his own car and jogged up to the door. With two loud knocks, he let himself inside. If the door was unlocked, Quinn surely had to be inside.

"Quinn? QUINN are you in here buddy?!" he called out, poking his head in all of the lower rooms as he shouted.

But nobody came.

Frustrated, Viktor yanked out his phone and pressed Quinn's speed dial once more, listening around to see if he was just asleep upstairs. When he didn't hear any nearby ringtones from above him, Viktor slid out of the back door, glancing around for any sign of the man.

He wasn't expecting the phone to be answered as he stood outside.

"Hello?" came the crackling static from the receiver. Quinn must be in some sort of tunnel if the service is this terrible.

"QUINN Holy fuck my fuck where are you?" Viktor pleaded, slumping down on the patio bench, leaning against the wall as he stares out into the forest in front of him.

"Uh, well... funny story about that... I'm currently in the mountain..."

Viktor's blood ran cold.

"Inside of the mountain? You can't be serious, why the fuck are you playing this sort of a prank? There was a kid who went missing yesterday and the whole town is freaking out PLEASE do not joke about this sort of thing Qu-"

"I know, I'm with them. I saw them running up the mountain and chased after them as best I could. Leg held out for a good while but... well I tripped. That gave the poor kid enough time to take a tumble into Wonderland as it were. Massive fucking rabbit hole. You probably saw a bunch of shit missing from the cabin? Well, I went after them. Couldn't stand the thought of them dying down here alone. Rope I was using kinda broke though, so I'm stuck for the time being."

The blond sighed softly, rubbing his face with a tired hand. "Alright then, so you're stuck in the mountain for the time being. How much do you have, like, in terms in food and water? Do you need me to toss a couple bags of the stuff down?"

Quinn had the audacity to laugh at that. "Nah, man. I'm currently eating one of the greatest burgers I have ever had the pleasure of biting into, sitting across from one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever met... the kid is off to the side playing with fries as the bartender looks on in amusement. Oh, I... guess I should mention...

Monsters are real. That legend is real. And humans were the biggest fucking bag of dicks in the world."

* * *

You couldn't help but chuckle at your friend's ugly laugh, the static-y crackle of the terrible reception making it sound even more wild.

"Fuckin' hell that's amazing! Think I'm losing ya a little bit, though. There anything you need to get out of there?" Viktor asked, knowing the call was going to get cut short here soon.

"Sadly, we need a seventh human soul. There have been six other people to fall down here and, sadly, die to the various hazard of the Underground. If we can get a seventh somehow, we'd be home free. Of course, the last thing either the kid or I wanna do is die, so..."

"Got it. Need a human soul. I'll try figuring something out on my end. If we can get ya anything else, try to reach out alright?"

"Got it Viktor. Gonna hang up now."

"Later Quinn. Treat that woman right, you hear?"

You sigh a little as you hang up, setting the phone aside and resting your forehead against the palms of your hands, your shoulders slowly shaking as you start to laugh. Toriel looks on in amusement, reaching out to pat the back of your head.

"They seem like a nice person, much friendlier than how you described them last night."

"Well of course Tori. I was talkin' to the real Viktor, not the wrestling personality known as Viktor. Two separate things. Kinda like how I am around you verses how I was earlier with Undyne." You flash a wide smile, reaching up to move the large paw-like hand to your cheek so you could rest your head against the soft fur of it. "In truth, I was terrified of her. There was no way I could be brave enough to face her in a normal situation. I just... pretended she was a very tall opponent in a wrestling match, threw up my character mindset, and went to town."

Toriel's hands slowly slid along your face, her thumb feeling over the side of your face carefully, seeming to map out the various bones under your skin. "Well, I'm glad you figured out a way to save yourself and the child peacefully, even if it did involve fighting her."

"Eh, don't worry about it love. I'm not afraid of dying, really. I mean, if we're gonna get out of this rock, I'll probably need to die anyway. No big deal."

Not the right thing to say, apparently, because Toriel pulled her hand away, her expression wide-eyed with shock.

"You can't possibly mean that, Quinn. You can't just give your Soul up. I... I..." You can see the goat monster's shoulders shake, prompting you to slide out of your chair to stand beside her, squeezing her in the best hug you could manage.

"I'm sorry, Tori. I'm so sorry, shhh I'm not going anywhere..."

"G-good. Good. I can't lose you, Quinn. I... I...

I'd rather be dust than lose my soulmate."

* * *

Undyne nearly spit out her booze at that last line, her eye going wide as she stares at the former Queen and the older human. Soulmate? Seriously? Only WIMPS believed in that bullshit! Although... with how she and Alphys practically danced around each other because of how they felt...

"Undyne! Did you hear that! THE GREAT PAPYRUS totally 'ships' it, as Alphys would say!" Papyrus shouted, thankfully going unnoticed by the other members of the pub. Most people in Snowdin are already used to the younger skeleton's volume issues, and were able to tune him out when needed.

"Wait, what? Do you really know what that means, Papyrus?" Undyne counters, looking at her companion in shock and horror.

"Of course I do Undyne," replied Papyrus, his voice suddenly much softer, his expression more... soft than usual. Not the same playful intensity of a child. This Papyrus was clearly an adult. "I'm not a child, Undyne. You of all people should know just how mature I can be. Especially when we spar together."

The fish monster idly played with her bright red ponytail, glancing away from the younger brother. "That's true. I'm sorry, Pap. I just... a Soulmate is a pretty big deal, you know? That means the two of them are pretty much destined to be together. Everyone down  here knows that Asgore and Tori's relationship was more political than anything else prior to Asriel being born, but even then, it was all a public-face-thing with them. Be kind, all touchy feely and whatnot, then go home and do your own thing. Not even close to being soulmates."

The skeleton nodded, rubbing his chin. "True, true. But I do believe it is alright, Undyne. I can tell that Quinn has a good Soul, and Sans hasn't tried to pull a Special Attack on them yet. I'm sure they'll be fine."

God I hope you're right Papyrus, Undyne thought to herself, idly wiping the counter clean with a napkin as she throws down the rest of her drink. She just hoped that both humans didn't do anything stupid. She was already kinda shipping the new couple already. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to leave comments/suggestions/criticisms for me to read down below! I wanna know what you all are thinking of the story so far. Lots of stuff still to do, but there's always room to improve and expand!


	14. Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Toriel return to the Ruins to spend some time together. Frisk stays behind to visit with the skeleton brothers and Gaster. Everything seems to be okay for the time being.
> 
> Not like the King of All Monsters knows anything about two humans in the Underground...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Fun times to be had, but you're still going to have to wait a bit for anything to happen between Tori and Quinn. It's coming... which means I'm probably changing the rating here soon. If I bother to/remember to...
> 
> Don't worry, I'll remember to mark if the chapter has anything TOO raunchy in it.

Grillby kicked everyone but Gaster out of the bar. You weren't really surprised by this, the way the two of them had locked eyes with each other. They clearly knew each other well, which was understandable. You'd probably know almost everyone too if you were forced to live in the same stretch of land for almost a thousand years, unable to explore the outside world and whatnot. This prompted an interesting situation. Toriel wanted to return to her home in the Ruins for the time being, but Frisk wanted to hang out with Sans and Papyrus.

"Are you sure about that, my child?" Toriel asked, her face clearly twisted with worry. You squeezed your friend's hand gently, leaning against her as Undyne, of all people, spoke up first.

"The kid's fine! As long as the skeleton brothers have an eye on them, they're free to do whatever the hell they wanna do down here. Just gotta make sure they don't hurt anyone, you know? One spec of monster dust on their clothes after a Confrontation, and their soul goes to the King. Same goes for you, PUNK!" she shouts, jabbing a finger into your chest, causing you to chuckle.

"Alright, alright. Fair enough. Do you guys have cell phones? Could give you guys my number. Would be easier to reach us in the Ruins that way," you suggest, reaching into your pocket for your phone, frowning a little at how little juice the battery had. "Crap. Need to find a charger for this thing soon, it's almost dead."

"I'll go poke Alphys, she can probably whip something up faster than you can say Tsunderplane." Undyne flashed a toothy grin, holding up her phone (an old flip phone from at least ten years ago, if not older then that). You take it, quickly punching in your contact information. When you handed her the phone, her smile grew smaller. "Uh, hey... about your leg... I'll talk to Alphys about that too. We can probably work something out. She's great at building things, she could probably get you a proper functioning leg that doesn't need to be held on with straps and stuff. Full benefits of movement but with none of the pain. Sort of a cheap way to handle things, but I'll allow it for you, Nerd!"

You flashed her a warm smile and a thumbs up. "Thanks, Undyne. And if that's possible, then I'd love to try. I'm a little skeptical about that, but I'm all out of options when it comes to the tech we have on the surface." With a nod, Undyne dashes off towards Waterfall, the next area over, possibly to get in contact with this Alphys person she was just talking about. 

With a shrug and a sigh, you turn to Toriel, smiling up at her. "Ready to go? If Frisk is staying behind we can... Get to know each other a little better? Could explain the whole Soulmate thing in better detail."

The goat monster's smile couldn't be any wider as she lowered her head, pressing her lips against yours. A soft, chaste kiss. But a kiss that you didn't want to end either way. It does end, however, and you find yourself hopping and clinging to the taller woman as you make your way back to the Ruins. To Home. You enjoy the winter wonderland of Snowdin, but the Ruins...

Nothing can compare to it. You just feel great JOY there.

* * *

Gaster and Grillby sat next to each other at the bar, a bottle of whisky sitting between them. They barely touched their drinks, only taking the occasional sip as they talked. Grillby knew about the various timeline resets. And it was all because of Gaster's little prat fall into the Core. Grillby was surprised that Gaster hadn't simply picked up the bottle itself to take massive chugs from it. He was proud of his lover in that regard.

"It's alright, Gaster. You don't need to worry too much. Most of the timelines were fine, nothing ever happened to me."

"But that isn't good enough, Grillby!" Gaster suddenly shouted back, purple tears trailing down his cheekbones. "I was supposed to be there for you. For Sans and Papyrus. But all I did was sit in that damn Void feeling sorry for myself. All I did was sit back and watch as you and the others suffered, timeline after timeline. I should have come back home. I should have been determined enough to come home, but I wasn't. Not until after I... after I heard Frisk's tale from their life on the surface."

The flame tilted his head to the side, slightly confused by this. "You mean to tell me that the child actually told someone why they were down here?"

Gaster nodded, idly pushing the glass back and forth along the bar top with his fingers, focused on the movements of his hands as he told his mate about the human child. The longer the story went, the more Grillby's features seemed to shift. By the end of it, Grillby resembled a barely contained wildfire instead of a man made of fire. The skeleton looked over, his eye sockets growing wide, the purple eyelights completely extinguished.

"G-Grillby? My love? Please, calm down, your magic is going out of contr-"

"Do not. Tell me. To calm down. Frisk is a -child- and you do not. Do. This. To. Children." The crackling voice had also shifted into something more feral. More primal than anything Gaster had heard in his entire life. And he had been around when they were first trapped Underground. There was only one thing he could do to defuse the situation.

Gaster grabbed onto Grillby's vest, tugged him down, and pressed his bony 'lips' to the flame. His cheeks were dusted with purple, his fingers clinging to the cloth in desperation. He held that kiss for as long as he could, his eyelights slowly returning as the wildfire slowly calmed down. When Gaster finally moved to pull away, Grillby was having none of it. He tugged his mate in once more, squeezing the skeleton to his chest, his shoulders shaking as raw emotions finally poured out.

They shared that embrace for several more minutes before the flame monster spoke, his eyes focused on his lover. "Come upstairs with me. Let me show you just how much I missed you." With a timid nod, Gaster followed closely behind, glancing over his shoulder at the front door for only a brief moment, checking to see if the door was indeed locked.

Grillby's bar would remained closed for the rest of the day at this rate.

No one really questioned it.

* * *

"SANS YOUR SOCK IS STILL HERE?! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO TAKE IT BACK TO YOUR ROOM!" Papyrus shouted, his foot stomping on the ground in frustration.

"Sorry about that, bro. Kinda forgot, was too busy nappin' the day away at my sentry station and stuff."

Frisk sat on the brother's green sofa, watching the back and forth, giggling to themselves as they hugged their legs to their chest. Once the brothers finished with their playful argument, Papyrus rushed upstairs to play around on his computer, leaving the human child and the older skeleton behind. Sans let out a soft sigh before turning, leaning against the table with his pet rock.

"So. You headin' out later tonight to head to the Lab?"

"Yes, I'll just need to nap for a couple minutes before I leave." Frisk carefully slipped off his boots and socks, idly picking at their toenails. One of the first things they usually did was peel off the nail polish that had coated them, but they didn't have a chance to do that this time around. Sans noticed, his brow raised.

"Didn't think you were one for painting your nails, Kiddo." The unasked question in his voice made Frisk flinch, their shoulders slowly starting to shake.

"I don't wanna talk about this, Sans. Please. I already had to talk to Mom and Quinn about this after breakfast. Please..."

The skeleton didn't even bother walking forward. He took a shortcut right to the lumpy green sofa, taking a seat next to the child, resting a hand on their back. "Kiddo, you don't have to tell the whole story. Not right this second. But if we are breaking the barrier in the next few hours/days, I'd at least like to know what is gonna happen. I know you wanna stay with Tori, that has always been a constant. But if this has to do with some sort of human guardian or parents you have, you're gonna have to let us help."

Frisk bit their lip, slowly looking at the skeleton, tears starting to form in their eyes. "I don't wanna be their dress-up doll anymore, Sans. I wanna be able to ride bikes, go to the zoo, go dancing in the rain with friends and family. I don't want to be forced into ballroom gowns and paraded around like some porcelain figurine. I just want... time. Th-that's one of the reasons why I kept resetting Sans. I wanted to stay here, to be with you guys. A-after Undyne came here and killed me the first time, I knew it wouldn't work though. I had to keep pushing forward. I hated it. I hated leaving Mom in the Ruins. I hated leaving you and Papyrus here. I hated leaving Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton. I hated LEAVING Sans! So I kept coming back!" Frisk couldn't stop. They were crying too hard. Sans, without even a moment of hesitation, took Frisk through a shortcut down into the hidden basement, where Sans kept his private lab equipment. Frisk clung to the stocky skeleton, face buried in the soft fur of the blue hoodie.

"It's okay Frisk. I don't hate you. I never hated you. I just hated not knowing what was happening, you know? I hated the anomalies that would occur. I mean seriously, I tried killing you with a god damn joy buzzer in one of the timelines, buddy. I just wanna know... if this is the last one, ya know? I mean, everything is just so perfect this time. Tori has Quinn, her actual Soulmate of all things. Gaster is back in the timeline. Undyne didn't kill ya on sight. We already know about the True Lab, so we can just talk to Alphys and head on down. The only thing we need to worry about is Flowey, and according to you, he only shows up at the end with Asgore, right? So we'll just take care of that when it happens. We'll get all of the Underground to the King's castle if need be."

The child sniffled and nodded their head, frowning when they pulled their face away. "S-sorry Sans... I think I got gross stuff on your hood..."

The skeleton rolled his eyelights. "Forget about the fluff, kiddo. You know I have, like, thirteen other hoodies that look just like this one, right?" Frisk couldn't hold back a giggle at the revelation. "See? That's the sounds I like to hear, Kiddo. No more resets, no more problems. We're getting out of here, alright? We'll do it together."

Frisk's heart, and Soul, skipped a beat at that last phrase, their smile growing wide, the tears shifting from sad to joyous in a manner of seconds.

"Together."

* * *

Flowey poked his head up just outside of Asgore's throne room. He watched carefully from the shadows, making sure only the King was inside before he slowly shuffled forward, his face slowly shifting to one of worry. He had to act like a monster, it was the only way to convince the King. If he acted like his usual Soulless self, he'd just end up dead.

Asgore, the King of All Monsters, was quietly watering his flowers before he retired for the night. He hummed a soft tune to himself, one that the flower recognized as an old lullaby he would sing to his children prior to their passing. Flowey, for the briefest of moments, recoiled at the music. The tiniest part of him, the one that wasn't Flowey the Flower, called out to the massive goat monster. But Flowey pushed that little piece downward. Flowey didn't have a Soul. Dead children don't call out to their parents! They stay DEAD.

Asgore, finished with watering his flowers, set the tiny watering bucket on the throne itself, smiling at his field of golden flowers. When he turned around, however, he noticed one that was clearly not like the others. One that was probably a monster.

"Howdy!" the king boomed, kneeling down so as to not be too intimidating with his massive seven and a half foot frame. "What is your name, little one?"

"Well, Sir, m-my name is Flowey. Flowey the Flower," he replied, trying to behave as timidly as possible. "I happen to live in the Ruins, but I came all the way over here because I have some rather... troubling news."

Asgore, for what its worth, looked rather surprised by this. "What kind of news? And how did you exit the Ruins, Flowey?"

"Oh that's easy! I can burrow under the dirt. It's really nice, especially with the cold of Snowdin being such a hindrance to a flower like me! A-anyway, the news... well, a pair of humans have fallen down into the Kingdom, Sir. And... and Queen Toriel has taken them into her home. She's protecting them. Keeping them to herself. I swear, I saw them! One of them was an adult! And I saw them holding hands and stuff!"

Deep down, Flowey was amused by how crushed Asgore looked. What the flower was not expecting, however, was the sudden shift to joy in his eyes.

"Toriel is alive? Oh I must go see her! I'm sure she has her reasons for holding the Humans at her place. Oh I can't wait to taste her butterscotch-cinnamon pie once more. I wonder if I should bring some flowers..." The King slowly turned around, glancing at his garden, mentally picking out various blooms before he's interrupted by Flowey clearing his throat.

"Um, Sir? What about the humans? You know, the key to everyone's freedom? You have six souls already, surely you want the seventh one to break the barrier!"

Asgore chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, Flowey. Did you honestly think I would go hunting down the last soul myself? The only reason I ever... murdered... those other humans was because they had hurt others. Every single one of them had at least an LV of five or higher. If these humans are friendly, they are free to stay as long as they wish."

Flowey was furious! But... maybe...

"I-I think the adult was making kissy faces at the Queen!"

Asgore froze, his smile dropping slowly. He lowered his gaze to his own feet before moving for the exit. "Stay put, Flowey. I must attend to something.

Flowey was more than happy to. He slowly moved towards the King's throne, carefully pulling himself into the seat, pushing the watering bucket out of the way so he could wrap his vines around the golden chair. Now he just had to sit back...

Relax...

And wait.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flowey you asshole. Look what you just did.


	15. Judge Versus Executioner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk and Sans leave the comfort of Snowdin to journey into the True Lab, intent on breaking the barrier as quickly as possible. They weren't expecting Asgore Dreemurr to be waiting for them.
> 
> You and Toriel sit down and have a nice cup of tea, unaware of the chaos approaching...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a true Confrontation ladies and gents! I hope you brought something along with you to cuddle with, because this is going to be a rather bumpy ride.
> 
> Also I am terrible at writing magical fight scenes, oh well.

Toriel carefully set down the freshly brewed tea on the table, sliding into the chair next to your own. You smile up at the taller woman, carefully lifting the cup up to blow on it, relaxing just a bit from the warmth in your hands. The trip back to the Ruins had been rather uneventful, save for a stray monster teen chucking a snowball at the former Queen, not knowing who she was. It was rather amusing to you, watching the poor Ice Cap run away from a small cluster of purple-red fireballs. None of them were even close to hitting, but it was still funny.

Toriel cleared her throat, bringing you back to the present as you carefully sipped at your tea. "So... about this whole Soulmate thing? What exactly does that mean for a monster?" you ask, trying to seem casual.

The goat monster smiled, resting a hand next to you, which you reflexively lay one down on top of it in return, causing you to blush faintly. Her soft giggle made you blush even harder. "For a monster, a Soulmate can mean many things. Your closest friend, your greatest friendly rival, your most cherished companion and mate... it is different and unique. For us, our bond is something closer to the last group I mentioned..."

Your brow rose at that, your heart skipping a few beats. "So, we're like... destined to be lovers? That's... pretty cool to be honest." You flash a wide smile, pulling Tori's hand up to your lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "I, uh... never really felt like this with other people before. Did my Soul known right away about you being out there or did something just click?"

"Honestly, I do not know. Most Soulmates discover they have certain feelings towards their partner just by being in close contact with them. Our bond was a little more... rushed due to the power of your Soul. Being human, your Soul is much more powerful than mine, which probably triggered the reaction faster than usual. There's also the rather unusual state of your Soul. I have never seen one with all seven traits present... and I have never seen one that was silver before."

This gave you pause. "Wait, silver isn't a natural color for us?" When she shook her head, you looked down at yourself, tapping your chest a few times. "That's weird. Maybe it has something to do with some... feelings I've been having. Like, on the surface, when Frisk jumped down, I was filled with something. Filled with... Bravery, I think. But ever since I've met you, that feeling's gone away and been replaced with something else... Joy? I don't know..."

Toriel's eyes grew wide as she pulled her hand away from yours, pushing herself away from the table as she moved towards the bookshelf. You knew most of the books were about snails, but clearly this wasn't a time to learn about their chainsaw-like tongues. She finally pulled out a book from the bottom shelf, carefully dusting it off with a paw before returning to her seat. Quickly flipping through the pages, you notice just what the book was about.

Traits of human Souls.

"According to this," she begins, "humans possess one of seven Traits in their Souls. Determination, Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Integrity, and Perseverance. However, there was rumor of several other colors, including combinations, such as teal for Kindness and Patience. However, your own soul contains ALL of them, and is displayed as Joy. This is strange..." She hums for a moment, setting the book down before holding her hand in front of your chest. "May I take a look at this, Quinn?"

You smile, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Of course, Tori. We're practically dating at this point, and if I can help you figure out what is going on with my soul, I'll gladly step up for whatever 'tests' you can think of."

With a nod and a smile, Toriel slowly drew your soul out, marveling at the sight. As the Soul slowly rotated above her paw, each color came into view, even if for only a brief moment. All seven colors of the rainbow, all Traits, shining brightly from the glossy form of the Soul. The monster slowly reached out with her other hand, brushing a finger lightly over the smooth silver surface, causing you to gasp in pleasure. You blush, quickly covering your lap with your hands in an attempt to suppress the sudden spike of arousal rushing to your crotch.

"O-oh dear, I'm sorry about that Quinn! I forgot that touching a Soul can be rather... intimate for a person. I just wanted to see if there were any cracks or scars..." She reached forward once more, intent on brushing over one of the colored sections of the Soul, only for a gentle knock to sound from the front door. Quickly, Toriel pushed the Soul away from her, letting it sink back into your chest as she goes to answer it.

You sigh, tugging at the front of your shirt, trying to catch your breath as best you can. You'd never felt so aroused before. You felt like you were on fire. You quickly stood up and moved your way into the kitchen to pour out a glass of cold water.

You were looking forward to continuing this soon, that's for sure.

* * *

Frisk was true to their word, taking the quickest power-nap in the history of power-naps before slipping their socks and boots back onto their feet. Sans had swapped out his jacket for something thinner, something more comfortable for the heat in Hotland. His smile was somewhat strained as he pushed the door open, letting the human child outside before stepping out and locking the door behind him. 

"You sure you wanna go right now Kiddo? We could... you know... spend some time here, in the Underground. For old time's sake."

"I wanna get this over with Sans," Frisk replied, rubbing their hands together to keep them warm. "I just want you guys to see the stars, you know? I've ruined too many chances. Let's just do it."

"Alright Kiddo, we're off. Sadly we can't exactly take the Riverperson at this time of night, even creepy boat riding specters have to sleep."

Frisk giggled at this, falling in next to the skeleton, taking a bony hand into their own to leach off a small amount of heat. Their heart fluttered once more, smiling up at the monster beside them. Sans squeezed their hand gently, a slight dusting of blue covering his cheeks as they made their way into Waterfall.

Rather than walking the entire length of the area, Sans took smaller shortcuts to various areas. First stop, his sentry station, picking up a bottle of ketchup from behind the counter so he could sip it while on the move. Next, his trick telescope. He sighed, resting a hand on the old, dented tube, wiping the red paint off of the lens quickly. "Heh, I still remember the first time I tricked ya with this thing."

"Yeah, it was pretty great. I didn't even realize what had happened until I went to talk to the Nice Cream vendor! I almost threw one of my treats at your face when I came back."

Sans chuckled, holding up both hands. "Hey now, it was just a joke! You know I can't pass up on a good prank!" He smiles wide, a real genuine smile at the child, his Soul humming happily. That smile was quickly replaced with a confused look when he heard the soft thud of heavy paws behind him. Frisk's eyes were wide with fear, prompting the skeleton to turn around, holding an arm out in front of the child.

Sans was not expecting Asgore to be all the way out here, in the middle of Waterfall.

The massive goat monster was dressed in his kingly armor. Gold metal and purple cloth, his cloak covering his arms for the time being. The King's face was rather stern, growing even more so at the sight of the human child before him. His expression wavered at the sight of the skeleton, clearly confused by this development.

"Sans?" the king asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Why are you here with a human this late at night?"

"Oh, s'pretty simple really. The kiddo here wants to help with the Barrier, and they had a theory about how to do that. We were just on our way to Alphys' lab to borrow some equipment. What're'u doin' this far out of the castle? Somethin' got your goat?"

Sans knew almost immediately that things were serious when the old goat didn't even chuckle at his joke.

Frisk gently pulled at the hood of his friend's jacket, pulling themselves next to the skeleton. "K-King Asgore, please. I want to help free everyone. I just-"

Sans pulled Frisk back with a small shortcut when the King's eyes flared. "You shall do no such thing, Human. Judge Sans, I am ordering you to deliver them to me so I may gather their seventh and final Soul."

The skeleton chuckled, patting Frisk on the shoulder before turning to Asgore, eyelights completely extinguished for the moment. " **That won't be** **necessary, King.** I've already judged both humans down here, both of them are allowed to stay."

"Do not question me, Sans!" Asgore snapped back, smoke slowly radiating from the king's maw. "I will not allow this childish antics any longer. We only require one Soul. This child has what we need. The other human is attempting to take what is MINE. You shall not stop me."

"Is that so? Hate to break it to ya, bud, but you can't break Toriel away from a Soulmate. As for the Kiddo. Well... **You have no right to order me around like that.** "

It was rather sudden. A flash of red swinging vertically down towards the human and skeleton, the massive magical trident missing by just a fraction of a second. Sans appeared a few yards away from the King, urging the human to run down the eastern corridor. A small hop over a watery gap, a quick left turn, and they found themselves in front of Undyne's home. Frisk dashed forward, hammering on the teeth that served as the door. Sans stayed in place, waiting for the King to charge around the corner at any moment.

They needed to gather everyone together. They needed to calm Asgore down.

Sans just hoped he could dodge long enough for everyone to come.

* * *

The slight buzz in your pocket made you jump slightly. Reaching into your pocket, you fetched out your phone, frowning at the odd number on the display. You figure it must be from one of the monsters, so you answer it.

"Hello? Quinn speaking."

"Quinn! You and Toriel need to get your ASS the Waterfall NOW! Asgore and Sans are trying to kill each other! I need to call Alphys and Mettaton, just GET HERE PUNK!" Undyne practically screamed before ending the call. Without a second thought you push yourself out of the chair, hop-running towards the front hall. Toriel was busy helping a Froggit with some tiny pebbles that had gotten stuck on their feet when they fell into one of the goat monster's traps on accident.

"Tori, I just got a call from Undyne. Asgore is trying to kill Sans and Frisk. We need to go NOW."

With more speed and grace than you were anticipating, your Soulmate swung around, horror etched on her face. Without a moment of hesitation she scooped you (and the Froggit) up into her arms, leaping over the railing that lead to the exit of the Ruins. You never thought your mate would be this strong or this fast, but you were glad that they were. They needed to be as quick as possible if they were going to save their friends.

DREAD tried to overtake your JOY, but you refused to give in.

* * *

Frisk was busy cowering underneath Undyne's piano while the sounds of battle sounded outside. Sans and Asgore were busy brawling with each other. Asgore swinging his trident and flinging fire, Sans dodging out of the way with his shortcuts and flinging the occasional bone.

"SANS, I ORDER YOU TO STOP THIS NONSENSE! I AM YOUR KING!" Asgore roared, fire billowing out of his mouth as he spoke. His anger, his rage, was unlike anything Frisk had ever seen in the previous timelines. They had never been this upset before...

" **I will not let you hurt Frisk. I will not let you take Toriel's Soulmate away,** " Sans countered, his left eye flaming with blue and yellow fire. He knew, however, that he was starting to grow winded. He needed the others here. He needed his friends. His father, his brother, everyone!

But nobody c-

Too soon for that. Someone did come. A wall of blue bones appeared between the two combatants, the younger skeleton brother slowly rounding the corner to stand next to his brother. With another roar, Asgore slashed at the bones, only for his weapon to recoil off of them. His eyes grew wide when he realized a second layer of the bones had appeared, interlaced with the first.

Gaster and Grillby had both arrived, hand in hand. The flame monster carefully readjusted his glasses, glancing between the skeletons and the King. He didn't have a chance to put on all of his clothes, leaving his chest and arms bare. Gaster, however, had at least pulled on his turtleneck before leaving the bar. It was a good thing the two of them hadn't fallen asleep after their... time together.

"Grillby? You came all the way out here to help?" Undyne asked, clearly shocked that the flame monster would risk their life to come to a place that was so wet.

"Of course. My mate's son was in trouble. That makes Sans my child as well. And I will never let someone harm what is mine."

Before anyone else could speak, there was another set of pounding footsteps. When they stopped, they were replaced with a loud, yet feminine, roar.

" ** _ASGORE DREEMURR, STOP THIS MADNESS!_** " Toriel screamed, clutching the older human and the Froggit tightly in her arms.

In an instant, Asgore's magic dissipated. He dropped the trident, the flames died in his maw, his eyes grew softer. With this, the wall of bones went away, freeing the king from the temporary cage. Two steps forward was all it took before Toriel shouted once more.

"That's far enough, Dreemurr."

"But Tori, I-"

"Enough, Dreemurr. You pathetic whelp. You not only tried to murder a small child, but you also attacked a fellow Monster. Do you realize how bad this looks? Do you realize just what you have done?"

Asgore's shoulders began to shake, the large goat slowly sinking onto his knees. Toriel released Quinn and Froggit from her hands, waving over the rest of the group to stand by her side.

"Asgore Dreemurr. I would like you to meet Quinn. Quinn. This is Asgore Dreemurr.

Former King of the Underground." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave comments and stuff after you read! Gimme your thoughts/feelings on this turn of events!
> 
> What will happen with Asgore? What will happen with Flowey?
> 
> When will we see Quinn and Toriel actually do something?
> 
> Well, that'll be answered... next time~


	16. The Heart Of The Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the situation rapidly getting out of hand, you must step up as the voice of reason. Can you stop the madness before everyone is consumed by it?
> 
> Are Frisk and Sans going to make it to the Lab?
> 
> And what is Flowey doing...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one 'day' of writing! Because why the heck not.

You clung to the sprinting goat monster for dear life, your eyes wide in shock. Who knew Toriel could move so quickly! The Froggit, for what it was worth, didn't seem too bothered to being dragged out into the snowy forest beyond the Ruins, tucked nicely between the two larger bodies.

When you finally arrived in Waterfall, however, you could tell things weren't going to be good. There were massive scorch marks on the cavern walls. Toriel's own flames were threatening to explode from her body at any moment with just how -angry- she was at the prospect of the King killing Frisk. Knowing what you do about the previous fallen humans, you could understand why.

By the time you had rounded the corner, the fight was practically over. Asgore was hacking away at a massive wall of blue-tinted femurs, while the rest of your friends stood nearby. From the open doorway of the fish-house, you could see Frisk, in tears, hiding underneath a beautiful piano. In a manner of moments, Asgore went from being King of all Monsters to a disgrace. With Toriel's declaration, he had been stripped of his crown.

"Toriel, my wife, please don't do this. I thought that if I gathered this one last Soul, and if I took care of this intruder, we could be like a family once more. I-"

"Silence!" Toriel barked, her eyes fixated on the fellow goat monster before her. "In all this time, you refused to do your duty. With a single human Soul you could have crossed through the barrier like our son had done long ago. With that single Soul, you could found a way to gather the other six. Either negotiating peacefully, or by slaughter, it wouldn't have mattered. Instead, you sat in your throne room, hoping and praying that no one would come to the mountain. Not only that, but you attacked your own Judge. The one monster tasked with evaluating those who enter this place. I left your side because I could no longer stand to be by your side, but it is clear that I had made the wrong decision. Asgore Dreemurr, I hearby-"

You had to put a stop to this. You rest your hand on Toriel's shoulder, stopping her before she could say anything else. "Give me a moment with Asgore. Okay, love? It'll be fine."

You could feel the tension in the air as your Soulmate took a step backwards, allowing you freedom of movement as you moved towards the fallen king. "Hello Asgore. My name is Quinn. Recently, I found myself inside of your kingdom, chasing after a young child. A young child who was practically tortured in their own home by individuals who have no right to call themselves parents. In the span of forty-eight hours, I went from a depressed, almost suicidal mess with no one to call a friend, to the luckiest man in the world. I met the love of my life, several amazing friends, and even found a potential sparring partner."

You slowly kneel down in front of the monster, a sigh escaping your lips. "I know it is probably hard to understand this, but Toriel and I have a bond. A deeper bond than even I can comprehend at the moment. Not only that, but I have probably one of the weirdest looking Souls down here. I understand that you need one more to get out, but I think we can come up with some sort of plan. Some sort of solution. I made contact with a friend on the outside somehow. They know we're down here, and I'm sure if I can contact them again, we can figure something out. However, for this to work, I need you to trust me. Frisk, Sans, Undyne, Papyrus, Gaster, Grillby... Each and every one of those individuals want to move past this. I want to move past this. So please. Just... apologize to your ex wife and move on with your own life. I'm sure, once we get to the surface, you'll find your own Soulmate. Hell, it might not even take that long to do so, you know?"

With a wide smile, you reach out a hand. "So come on, big guy. Let's just start over, okay?"

The massive paw that encircled your own hand was just a touch intimidating, but you pushed past that discomfort. A warm smile painted his face, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I am such a miserable creature. Who would have known that the one to humble me would be a generous human."

"Hey, any time. But seriously, no more murderous rampages, okay? As much as I love being held by Toriel, I think we scared a Froggit half to death."

With a soft croak from the Froggit, everyone simply burst into laughter. Tension in the air finally starting to dissipate. One quick glance at Toriel made your Soul flutter wildly in your own chest. She was so proud.

"That was wonderful, my love. My sweet Quinn." The lady goat monster quickly knelt down next to you, her arms wrapped around you in a tight hug. Your lips met hers briefly, causing your cheeks to heat up.

"Wow! Look at these two NERDS!" Undyne shouts, clapping her hands together. Papyrus NYEH's in joy, while Grillby and Gaster share a quick kiss of their own, squeezing each other's hands. When you glanced over to Undyne's piano to call over Frisk, however, all blood drained from your face.

Frisk wasn't there. Neither was Sans.

DREAD peaked its ugly head from whatever hiding spot it was lurking in, causing your Soul to darken a few shades.

"Where's Frisk?"

* * *

"Kiddo, we should'a stayed behind with the others. They're gonna freak out when they find out you're run off again."

"I know Sans, and I'm sorry. But we need to finish this now. I just... I have this weird feeling that if we don't, something bad's going to happen. This timeline is so rushed in comparison to everything else, but I just... I just can't STOP myself right now."

Sans sighed in frustration, clutching Frisk's hand as they took rapid-fire shortcuts all the way to Hotland. A quick jog later, they were inside of Alphys' Lab. The faint snoring from the second floor told the two intruders that the current Royal Scientist was still asleep. Undyne had complained that the little yellow lizard monster hadn't woken up from her phone calls, but wasn't truly that upset. She had been busy working on Quinn's new leg for several hours and just couldn't hold off the exhaustion any longer.

The 'bathroom' door slid open with ease after the skeleton flipped the sign from one side of the door to the other, allowing them to access the elevator that lead down into the True Lab. The ride down was nerve-wracking for Frisk. They had never explored this portion of the Underground before. They didn't know what to expect down here.

They weren't expecting the journal entries lining the walls.

"Alphys what the hell did you do to them?" Sans muttered to himself, eyes narrowed as he spots the generator room almost instantly. "This way Frisk. Probably something in here."

* * *

"Alright everyone, just calm down for a second," you say, rubbing your forehead. "Let's just think through this for a moment. Sans and Frisk both left in the middle of my little rambling with Asgore, which means one of two things. One, Sans took Frisk back to Snowdin to try and calm the kid down. Two, Sans and Frisk went to 'Hotland' on whatever adventure they were planning on partaking in. Asgore said that they were on their way to Alphys' lab. Maybe we should head that way?"

Toriel sighed softly, nodding her head. "I do believe it would be the best course of action to make our way that direction. Captain, I know you do not particularly like Hotland. Would you mind delivering Froggit back to the Ruins? Would much rather they not come with us on this next stretch."

"Yeah, sure thing. I'll be right back." Undyne carefully lifted the tiny frog monster in her arms before running towards the Ruins. She was moving even faster than Toriel had earlier, causing you to whistle. "That's impressive to say the least..."

"OF COURSE IT IS HUMAN! Undyne and I always jog at least one hundred laps, hooting about how great we are as a warm-up to our training!" Papyrus chimes in, posing dramatically to the amusement  of everyone present.

"Well, once she gets back we'll all make our way to Hotland. I'm sure Grillby and Gaster would rather return to Snowdin to get some sleep, but they can easily check the brother's house along the way." The couple nod at this plan, carefully moving around the corner, wary of being bowled over by an overenthusiastic fish.

It wouldn't matter how careful they were, but they were bowled over anyway. Undyne WAS really fast after all.

"Hah! Bet you can't do THAT, you NERD!" she declares, jabbing a finger into your chest roughly. You roll your eyes at the monster's antics before turning to Asgore. "Alright big guy, time to head to the lab. Once this is over with, we'll sit down and have a cup of tea to talk about this whole 'King' thing, okay? Toriel was a bit hasty with that decision, but... well, we don't exactly observe monarchs in this day and age, at least not in this part of the world."

Toriel huffed at this, resting a hand on your shoulder. "You really are a kind man, Quinn. You would make a fine spokesman for our kind."

You roll your eyes at this. "I'm not really a politician. I just wanted to stop the fighting before it started up again, you know? Everyone here deserves to see the stars. We all make mistakes. And I'm sure Asgore will pay for his crimes in due time. Just, kinda need to focus on other things right now. Fair?"

Toriel smiled warmly at this, leaning down to kiss your forehead. "Fair."

* * *

Flowey was bored out of his mind. How the hell did that FOOL of a King ever stand staying in this room for long stretches of time? There was nothing to do in here! And until Asgore returned (hopefully with one or both human Souls), Flowey would have no idea how to gain access to the other six Souls.

Frustrated with everything, Flowey flung himself out of the King's chair, moving out into the corridor and down some steps. His slowly approaches the room, taking a peak inside. He frowns when he sees them. Seven caskets, all marked with the colors of their Souls. He ignored them, moving towards the only one that mattered to him. One with a simple red heart on the front. The first casket to be left in this room.

Chara's casket.

He lashed out, tugging on the lid of the casket with multiple thorny vines, pulling it open with a swift movement.

He frowned when he realized that the casket was empty. The wrappings they had been wrapped in prior to being placed inside laying on the bottom.

"So mom did end up moving you with her to the Ruins, huh? That sucks. I wanted to say hi so badly..." Flowey muttered to himself in a voice unlike his usual tone. His face scrunched up, shaking himself to clear his own head. "No no no, that's not what I wanted to do. Golly, why would I ever think that? I can't FEEL anything, there's no reason for me to feel... any sort of sadness..."

At least, that's what he was telling himself as he wiped away a stray tear with a leaf.

"Big kids don't cry..."

* * *

Frisk and Sans stared in awe at the massive generator that powered the entire building. Technically, it also powered the Core, but with how much energy it generated on its own, it wasn't needed to do that anymore. The skeleton carefully lifted a hand, brushing a bony finger along the surface of the heart shaped glass container, watching it pulse with life. Frisk felt like they were going to be sick at the sight.

"That's... that's Chara's Soul, Sans. It's been here, powering the Underground this whole time."

Sans turned to the human child, his expression grim. "I think my father has some explaining to do."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note about the ending of this chapter. BIG shout-out to MegRae and their story Fried Snow for the concept of Chara's Soul being in the Core generator thing. I had my own thoughts/feelings about the red heart in the center of it during True Pacifist, but I need to make this note because THAT story did it before this one.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter~


	17. A Curious Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Frisk confront Alphys about the contents of the True Lab.
> 
> Mettaton makes a brief appearance to pose dramatically.
> 
> You decide to take a small nap in your lover's arms... and have a rather strange dream...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the story! I'm sure many of you have been wondering if the story has been going too fast... well, I'll be honest here, I didn't want to see everyone stuck Underground for too long. What better way to do it than by mass Chaos, hmm?
> 
> I'm horrible at this writing thing. Yep.

Alphys groaned as she sat up in her bed. She had been working on the rechargeable battery for Mettaton when Undyne had burst into the lab, wielding a prosthetic leg. Apparently, the adult human she had seen on her cameras had part of their leg missing, and as a way of apologizing, Undyne had promised them a new, better leg.

Four hours later, Alphys had finished it. The prototype was laying on the desk, next to the battery she had just finished, and she finally could sleep for the first time in nearly two days. It was stressful, having a human down here. She was constantly checking camera feeds, keeping notes on what the humans were up to. She hadn't worked up the courage to ask anyone to help her monitor the cams, which meant rather terrible sleeping patterns were developed.

With a loud yawn, Alphys carefully re-folded her bed into a cube for storage, gently pushing it against the wall before turning around to make her way to the closet. Instead, she found herself face to face with a blue-hooded skeleton. She shrieked, falling flat on her tail, causing her to wince and reach behind herself to rub at it.

Sans felt sorry for the lizard monster for a brief moment before his gaze hardened once more. He was on a mission, after all.

"Hey Alph. Glad to see you're awake now."

The scientist slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her hands together nervously, keeping her eyes downcast. "H-hi Sans. What b-b-brings you to the Lab? Did you need some more w-wires?"

The skeleton shook his head, catching sight of the new leg. "What, no garish pink heels? Did Mettaton want something... fleshy?"

"O-Oh no, that's not for MTT, that's for the human! U-Undyne came in earlier and asked me to make a new leg. Y-you know, after her f-fight and all. I-it's still a prototype. I'd need them to come here to test it out f-f-first."

Sans rolled his eyelights, resting a hand lightly on the nervous monster's shoulder. "Breath, Alph. I'm just here to talk to you about the basement lab. Ya know. My dad's old stomping ground."

He'd never seen Alphys look pale-white before in his entire life. This was clearly something she was not eager to talk about.

"I-I can explain! Asgore wanted me to try and figure out how to get more soul power so we can break the barrier without killing any more humans andIguessIsortofinjectedmonsterswithdeterminationandtheymeltedtogetherand-"

"Whoa whoa, Alphys slow down for a moment, that's not what I was up here to talk to you about. I was here to talk to you about the generator! You know, the one that powers the Lab and part of the Core? You know... the one with a **god damn Soul in it**?"

This caused the lizard to pause for a moment. "W-wait... that was a  _Soul_ this whole time?! Why didn't I figure that out! I'm so stupid!" The look of pure anguish on her face made Sans regret every horrible thought he had been thinking about the doctor in front of him. She had no idea. It was clearly something Gaster, or one of his assistants, had set up.

"Well that's a relief, Alph. And think, that'd make seven. I guess Chara will get to help break the barrier after all." Sans muttered, mostly to himself. "Okay with that out of the way, what was that about monsters melting together?"

With trembling shoulders, the Royal Scientist confessed her sins to the Judge of the Underground. Sans listened in awe, and in some parts, disgust. So many monsters who had fallen down, who had disappeared without a proper funeral, were alive and well, but different. Melted and fused together into amalgamations, shadows of their former selves, but for the most part safe.

Sans' eyelights went out after a sudden realization.

Frisk was still down in the True Lab with them.

* * *

Frisk was fine. In fact, they were having a blast.

Shortly after Sans had taken a shortcut upstairs to talk to Alphys, the young child had taken the opportunity to get a better look at the rest of the lab. They read through more of the journal entries, even finding one about a flower who had 'run away' from the lab after being injected with determination. That explained where Flowey had come from, at least.

A soft growl alerted the child that they were no longer alone in the corridor outside of the generator room. They looked around frantically, hoping to find the source of the noise. They soon found themselves face to face... or rather, face to massive gaping hole, of a slight dripping abomination. Frisk fell backwards, eyes wide with shock. That shock was replaced with a fit of laughter when the creature started wagging it's tail, strange black ooze dropping from the hole that served as its face.

Sans and Alphys had arrived just in time to see Frisk casually playing fetch with the dog amalgamate. The two monsters shared a brief look before sighing with relief. Even if they looked terrifying, they were still monsters. Creatures of love, hope, compassion...

Frisk was fine.

* * *

You were very tired by the time everyone had started making their way towards Hotland. You gently tugged at Toriel's hand for a moment, a blush clear in your cheeks. Before you could even ask, the beautiful creature lifted you up in her arms once more, kissing your forehead gently.

"Rest, Quinn. I know you've had a rather exhausting day at this point. I'd rather not risk you getting hurt, not after what we just went through with my ex husband."

You grumble a little, hiding your face in the goat monster's chest. "Promise me you won't bicker on the way there? Trust me, I know you have more things to say to Asgore. You still have a bunch of stuff to let loose about. But I feel like we're really close to something important, and we can't be infighting right now."

With a soft kiss on the top of your head, your Soulmate gave the affirmative you needed. You closed your eyes, snuggling in tighter to the woman who carried you with ease, falling asleep almost immediately.

_You found yourself sitting on a park bench, casually tapping your left foot as you strummed a guitar with experienced fingers. The case of the guitar was opened next to you, a small sign resting inside of it advertising lessons and other potential work. You had been doing this for a while, at least since you were kicked out of your band. You hum faintly along to the song, enjoying the peace and quiet of the empty park._

_You felt someone tap your shoulder. You glance up, a smile lighting up your face as lips crushed against your own. Your Soul hummed happily as the face pulled away._

_Undyne flashed a wicked looking smile, hopping over the bench to sit down next to you._

_"Hey, love! You done practicing yet? Toriel and the gang wanna go see a movie!"_

_"Sure love," you reply. "Lemme pack up my stuff."_

_Your KIND soul hummed brightly as the fish monster casually wrapped up your head in her arms, giving you one of her best noggies yet._

You woke with a start, your eyes wide and your breathing uneven. What the hell was that dream all about? Why the hell were you dreaming about Undyne? You felt so confused.

You looked around, realizing that you were laying against Toriel, who was sitting down on some sort of bed. One quick glance around the room told you that everyone was listening to Sans talk about something. Toriel noticed that you were awake, resting a hand on your cheek.

"Are you alright my love? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Oh, nah, I'm alright. The dream was kinda weird is all. What's everyone talking about?"

Sans, noticing that you were awake, stopped mid sentence to clue you in.

"We're just having a brief chat about the Souls. It seems we have a seventh Soul after all, down in the True Lab. Gotta go talk to Gaster about getting it out of the generator and stuff. Asgore's gonna be returning to the Barrier to grab the other six. We're debating who should be the one to become Godlike and whatnot."

You frown a little, taking a peak at Asgore, who was sitting nervously next to Undyne (who you couldn't really look at in the eye right this moment after that bizarre dream). "Huh, alright... Well, Asgore. Wanna go to the Barrier together? I kinda wanna see what it looks like before it breaks, you know?"

Everyone was dead silent at this proposition. Everyone looked nervous about something.

"What? Think about it. He can't exactly go alone. Why don't we all just go, you know? Sans can 'shortcut' back to Grillby's, fetch Gaster, take care of the generator nonsense, then come right to the Barrier. It'll be fine! And it'll give me a chance to see the rest of the Underground before we leave."

The plan seemed sound enough to everyone. It was decided. Everyone would take an hour or so to rest, giving Sans plenty of time to retrieve the other skeleton.

Unfortunately, no one was going to get any sort of rest.

Mainly because a rather tall, rather FABULOUS looking robot came bursting into the room just as Sans had teleported away.

"Alphys darling! I've come to pick up my battery!~"

Most of the group groaned in frustration at the sudden loud noises. Papyrus looked like he was about to explode with excitement.

You were mostly impressed with the amount of posing the robotic superstar monster was doing. They were pretty good. Pretty flexible.

You just hoped that they would quiet down soon so you could return to your sleep.

* * *

Grillby and Gaster were busy cuddling in bed, trying to get at least a few hours of sleep before a sharp knock sounded at the door to the bedroom. Grillby's flames dimmed slightly, carefully sliding out of bed to slip on a pair of shorts. Gaster, still naked, kept the sheets wrapped around him as he stared on from the bed. The moment the flame monster had opened the door, Sans pushed in, his empty eye sockets focused on the now-terrified Gaster.

"You used Chara's Soul to power the generator. **How? Why?** "

Gaster's jaw nearly dropped off of his skull at the statement. He held up his hands (even going so far as to summon several extra pairs with his magic) in surrender. "Sans, listen to me, I can explain everything. When I first came to possess that poor girl's Soul, I was unsure of what to do with it. I stored it in the Generator so that it would be safe. The Core needed the extra boost for it to be turned on. I was going to pull it out once it was up and running on it's own. THAT is why I was in such a hurry that day! I was going to stop by the lab to pull the Soul out!"

This time it was Sans' jaw to nearly fall off, even though his skull didn't exactly follow the same rules as his father and brother. "Wait.. you're telling me that you tripped on your own shoelaces because you were on your way to take the Soul out of its container, so that it can be placed with the other Souls and used to break the barrier? You have to be fucking kidding me."

No one laughed at the unintentional pun.

The barrier could have been shattered over a century ago. And it was all a lazy skeleton's fault. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rather curious dream indeed...


	18. It's Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven. Seven Human Souls. With seven human Souls, the barrier can be destroyed forever.
> 
> Six.
> 
> That's how many the King had gathered and stored near the Barrier.
> 
> Where were they?...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close to the end of the first act. Hope you guys and gals and other such pronouns enjoy~

Mettaton, thankfully, quieted down after being filled in on why everyone seemed to be crammed into the tiny bedroom. With his new battery installed, he quietly settled down next to a wall to charge. You decided to try taking another nap, curling up with your head in your lover's lap, letting her warm paw-like hand sooth you to sleep.

_Those soft fingers running through your long grey locks, clinging gently to the furry leg of your lover. They were always so gentle with you, always there for you when you needed them most. Carefully, you opened your eyes, smiling a bit as your hand rested idly on your round belly, cooing softly to yourself._

_"Ah, good morning, honey," a deep voice rumbled above you, causing you to glance up. You smile brightly as you husband, Asgore, lowered his head to kiss your temple. "How are you feeling?"_

_"Swollen like a balloon dear," you reply, your soft voice barely rising above a whisper at the moment due to sleepiness. "The twins really want to see the stars soon."_

_Asgore chuckles softly, helping you sit up, mindful of your condition. You giggle a little as he 'accidentally' brushes a hand over your breast, smacking his hand away._

_"Naughty boy..."_

_You both burst into laughter, your Soul humming happily at the sound of his rumbling chuckles. Just a day or two longer and you'd be the proud parents of a new generation. You've PERSEVERED through the hard times, and now you could finally be happy._

You woke with a start, physically leaping up from Toriel's lap. Thankfully, she was still asleep. The last thing you wanted to do was tell her you had yet another weird dream about being in someone else's embrace. The first dream was weird enough, kissing Undyne and playing guitar. But being MARRIED to ASGORE of all people? Being pregnant with his children? How did that make any sense!

You sigh to yourself as you slip out of the bed, carefully navigating onto the downward moving escalator. You didn't get a chance to see this part of Doctor Alphys' lab before, so you decided to poke around. A massive terminal seemed to have camera feeds of the entire Underground. So many cameras, so much data... it sent a chill down your spine. No wonder the six unfortunate Souls never stood a chance. You even caught sight of Sans and Gaster leaving Grillby's. They were finally on their way back it seems. Sans looked too exhausted to teleport, though. Guess everyone had a little more time to rest.

You move away from the massive security station to look at the much smaller desk. An old beat up desktop, complete with an old-school block of a computer monitor rested there, along with massive stacks of papers, a lizard shaped tea cup, and a tiny cat-girl figurine. You had a feeling the figurine was associated with some sort of cartoon, but you weren't really familiar with anything. You were too focused on your training to watch any sort of television.

Beside the desk was a small refrigerator and a massive bag of dog food. You hadn't seen any dogs outside of Snowdin, so you weren't sure why the doctor would have that in her lab. You shrug your shoulders, moving towards the escalator on the other side of the room. You were stopped, however, by someone clearing their throat. Slowly you turned around, your mouth open to greet whoever was there.

You never had the chance. You were knocked out before you had ever fully turned around.

* * *

Sans and Gaster needed to get back to the True Lab as quickly as possible. One quick glance at the Snowdin 'docks' told them that the Riverperson was up and awake much earlier than either of them had expected. This was convenient to say the least.

Both skeletons took a seat on the wide wooden platform, the cloaked figure turning to greet them rather slowly.

"Tra la la~ Where would you two like to go today?... wait. Gaster? You're here? Oh my, we must get you back to the Lab this instant, there is no time to lose!"

Before either man could respond, the boat shot forward, in the direction of Hotland. Sans was stunned that the Riverperson knew where they were going. The eyelights in his skull dying out as he spoke.

"How do you know where we're going? What the hell is going on RP?"

The cloaked figure sighed, gently lowering their hood, causing both skeletons to suck in a breath between their teeth.

Many had speculated on just what the Riverperson was. A smokey wisp monster. A monster that was literally just a giant cloak that talked. Some had even suspected that it was a human, disguised as a monster in the hopes that no one would take their soul.

None of those theories were right.

The Riverperson was a skeleton monster. A feminine looking skeleton monster.

A skeleton monster with most of the right half of their skull missing.

"Sans dear? Is that really how you want to greet your grandmother Segoe?" they asked with a playful tone, her left eye shining brightly.

Gaster was the first skeleton to recover, quickly rising to his feet and wrapping his arms around the cloaked skeleton. "Mama See, you're alive! It's... it's... I thought you were gone! You weren't with us when the barrier was closed, I thought they got to you! I thought-"

"Calm down my child, calm down! I told you I was a lot tougher than I looked, didn't I? Besides, they only caved in half of my face with a mallet. The bastards weren't going to take me down so easily. Ah, but our journey in the boat is over for the time being. Come, let us gather up that last remaining Soul, shall we?"

Sans looked at the two in utter confusion, holding up both of his hands once they were all on dry land. "Whoa whoa whoa hang on a sec. How do you know about the Soul in the True Lab?"

Segoe couldn't stop herself from giggling at this, turning to look at her grandson with a patient grin.

"Well it's rather obvious isn't it? Gaster always talked to 'himself' when he rode on my boat. He never kept secrets from me."

With that, the skeletons rounded the corner and slipped into the Lab. They stopped dead in their tracks, however, when they saw the trail of blood on the ground next to Alphys' bag of dog food. Without a second thought, Gaster rushed upstairs to wake everyone, while Sans and Segoe rushed back out of the Lab to follow the trail of blood.

* * *

You grumble softly to yourself as you return to the land of the living, your head pounding from the blow you took. When you lifted your head up, you could see the faint trickle of blood on the ground, muttering a soft curse to yourself as you reached up to feel the gash on your head. It looked worse than it really was, but now wasn't the time to compare and contrast various types of lacerations.

One quick glance around the room gave the impression that this place was important. A massive golden chair sat in the middle of a field of golden flowers, similar to the ones you had landed on when you first fell down. Another chair (throne?) sat next to a doorway, covered in a white sheet. You were leaned against the cold grey wall next to the 'throne room' entrance, possibly left there while your assailant went to do whatever it was they were planning to do in the other room.

You didn't have to wait long to find out who had attacked you.

Flowey the Flower was back. Flowey the Flower was pissed. Flowey the Flower...

Had six human souls circling around his head.

"Well would you look at that. The _STUPID_ human who  _DARED_ to attack me is finally awake. I guess that means I can start having some fun with you before the others get here!"

Vines latched onto your good leg, the thorns biting into the skin through your jeans as the demonic flower slowly pulled you towards the next room. You tried to pull yourself away, but that only made the grip around your leg tighten. You squeeze your eyes shut, pulling and tugging even more, but it was no use. The vines dug in even further, crushing your leg, causing a small pained gasp to escape your throat.

"Golly, you're a lot tougher than Frisk ever was in the other timelines! They would have been crying so hard if I did this to them! Oh wait, I -did- do this to them on a couple of occasions! They would cry so much they'd simply reset before I could even get hold of these Souls I have with me. But Frisk isn't here right now, aren't they? It's just you and your best friend for now!"

"Shut it, Flowey," you mutter between gritted teeth, glaring at the yellow buttercup of death right in their cold, empty eyes. "The other's are gonna be here any minute. Why are you even doing this?"

The flower rolls his eyes, leaning forward just a bit. "Isn't it obvious? I want to become the  ** _GOD of this world_** _ **!**_ With seven human Souls, I'll be the most powerful being of all! More determination than Frisk, more magic than all monsters combined! I can finally... I can..." Flowey's monologue stopped in its tracks. You hadn't heard the pounding of footsteps behind you, you hadn't heard the soft gasps.

You turned, smiling wide at the party of rescuers. Everyone had come. Including your Soulmate, clutching a small red Soul near her chest. Chara's Soul.

You opened your mouth to call out to her, to tell her you would be okay. To warn them about Flowey having the other Souls.

You didn't get the words out in time.

Flowey's vines launched forward, wrapping around the Soul and tugging it towards himself. One of the vines went even further, ramming roughly into the goat monster. Impaling her through the stomach.

You watched in horror as Toriel's eyes, the purple-red flames you had grown to love slowly died down. Her form slowly slumping forward onto her knees as her body started to crumble to dust. 

You felt your own Soul starting to shatter in your own chest as the world went white.

* * *

Frisk found themselves alone in a black void. After Flowey had grabbed the seven Soul and pulled it towards himself... after killing Toriel... the room had flashed with a bright light. Everyone else had disappeared, leaving Frisk alone.

Or so they thought.

There was someone else in the dark room as well. A lone figure, close to their own height, wearing a green and yellow striped long-sleeve shirt. Their fur white as snow. Slowly, the stranger turned and lifted their head, a faint smile on their lips.

"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower," they said. They tilted their head as if they were listening, a wide grin spreading across their lips. "Is that so, sister? Hmm, I guess you're right. Howdy! It's me, your new best friend..."

Another flash of light nearly blinded Frisk. When their vision returned, the small boy had appeared to age to an adult in the flash, their horns curled back behind their head, their cheeks painted with strange black markings. They wore robes similar to Toriel's dress, black markings covering different parts of their fur. Their lips were curled in a wicked smile, baring their fangs at the now quivering human.

_**"ASRIEL DREEMURR!"**_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.


	19. Please Come Back To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk and Asriel fight for total control of the timeline. You, however, do not get to see that. You are lost in an empty place. Alone. Afraid.
> 
> Will you see your Soulmate once more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, holy cow 1k hits! Thank you guys so much for giving my story a chance! You are all amazing.
> 
> Secondly, next chapter is the end of the first act to our tale. The updates may stop for a couple of days to give me a chance to recover (writing frantically every day for a few weeks was kinda interesting but draining).
> 
> Thirdly, I know the dream sequences are a little strange, but trust me on this. There is a purpose to them. This particular story arc has been in place from the very first chapter, if you pay close enough attention...

Frisk and Asriel were at a deadlock. Frisk, the pacifist with a DETERMINED Soul, would not Fight the goat monster. Asriel, fueled by the power of seven human Souls, threw every single spec of magic they had at the human in hopes of taking control of the timeline. With every lightning bolt, with every bursting star, with every slash of a saber, Asriel grew frustrated.

"FIGHT BACK!" he cried out in frustration, flinging a series of stars at the child.

"No! We don't have to Fight! Please Asriel, listen to me! Y-you can break the barrier! You can save Mom! Y-You don't have to be Flowey anymore! PLEASE!" Frisk screamed, wincing as one of the stars brushed against their cheek, leaving a small cut that burned like a bright inferno.

"You don't get it, do you? I want to go back. I want to play this game of ours again!" Asriel drew the sabers once more, swinging recklessly, clearly inexperienced with the weapons in his hands. Even if they possessed the body of a young adult, deep down they were still a child. This was the only reason Frisk had lasted so long.

"Asriel, this isn't a game! This is real life! You... your mom became dust because of you! You have to bring her back!"

Asriel flinched, his swing halted in mid-air, his eyes slowly growing wide. "No... no I didn't. Flowey did. I would never... I would never..."

"You hurt her to get Chara's Soul, Asriel. Please... please you have to stop this..."

Asriel slowly shook his head, clutching at it. "No. No you're wrong. She's... she's not dead. I didn't kill her. I would never kill my own mom!"

Frisk took a small step forward, only to leap back when a blast of flames cut them off. "Asriel please! You have the power to make things right! Just... just stop this. Please. For me, for her. For her Soulmate..."

Asriel grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. "I... Frisk, I... I can't do this... if I do this, I don't know what'll happen to the Souls. I might become Flowey again..."

"No you won't! Please, you have to believe me! Mom needs you to Save her. Please..."

Asriel, tears running down his cheeks, slowly let go of the magic holding his 'adult' form together, sinking down onto his knees, a child once more. "M-mom... I'm so sorry, I messed up I'm a failure. I'm a failure I'm a failure I killed you I killed Chara I killed everyone I-"

The goat child froze mid ramble as Frisk's arms wrapped around him, their lips placing a tiny kiss on top of his forehead. "Shh... it's okay... you can save her... and you can break the Barrier. That's what Chara wants, right?"

Deep within the monster's cluster of Souls, Chara's resonated faintly. With a smile plastered on his face, Asriel closed his eyes, willing his powers to do the right things.

* * *

You were alone. Surrounded by nothing. After the flash of white, you were here. Alone. Trapped. You gaze down at your hands, fresh tears beginning to pour down your face. Toriel, your Soulmate, was gone. Killed by a demonic flower. Deep in your chest, you could feel your own Soul begin to shatter.

You rested your hand on top of your chest, squeezing your eyes shut. Without knowing why, or even how, you pulled, drawing out the very essence of what makes you, You. The silver Soul was dimmed dramatically, almost blackened from its DESPAIR. You frown, reaching up to brush across the one strand of JOY left, near the bottom edge of the heart. A small smile spread across your lips as you felt it. That one piece of JOY left, the memories of your Soulmate preventing you from giving up on everything just yet.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw something. A small twinkle, like a star. When you turned, you found yourself staring at another Soul. Upside-down and pure white. You scramble forward in an attempt to gather it up, feeling drawn to it. Before you could reach it, you stumble, flat onto your face. As you look up, the Soul is gone. In it's place, however, was a face you had never thought you would see again.

Toriel.

You cried out in joy, launching yourself up to wrap your arms around the woman, the blackness of your Soul fading away almost instantly. You openly sobbed into the front of her dress, clutching at the fabric as if it would disappear if you ever released it.

"Quinn," she said in a whisper, her lips brushing along the top of your head. "Quinn, it will be alright. But I need for you to wake up, Quinn. I ne e d  y   o     u    t             o

w                                       a

 

 

 

k

 

 

e

 

 

u

 

 

 

p

 

 

 

.

 

 

"

* * *

Sans groaned softly as he sat up, looking around the room. His eyelights slowly scanned over the monsters and humans who had been present when Flowey took Chara's Soul and-

Sans' eyelights went out when hey noticed a lack of dust on the ground. Toriel was alive and well, shaking the shoulders of her Soulmate. His own Soul was hovering over his chest, nearly black with DESPAIR, possibly from watching her turn to dust. The skeleton could only watch in awe as the goat woman brought the Soul up to her lips, placing soft kisses on the top left ridge of the heart, whispering quietly to it. He could see from here that she was also pouring magic into it, hoping the soothing flames would stop the cracks that were forming in the center from spreading too far.

After a few moments, the Soul flared back to life, casting bright colors across the entire room. The full spectrum of the Trait rainbow, all encompassed in a single Soul.

That shouldn't be possible. Not for a human.

Sans was going to have to figure this one out later.

All was forgotten, however, when a sudden CRACK sounded through the room, knocking Sans and Toriel over. The buzz of magic made Sans rattle his bones. The energy in the air was extremely potent. And it could only mean one thing.

Something had just shattered the Barrier.

* * *

Frisk and Asriel knelt down on the ground, just outside of the exit to the Underground, six of the seven human souls hovering lifelessly around them. The seventh, Chara's Soul, was still inside of the goat child, humming softly with magic.

The human smiled, resting a hand on the monster's cheek, doe-brown eyes bright with joy. "See? I told you it'd work. Chara's been soaking up magic for AGES at this point. The two of you can stay like this now. Together, you know?"

Asriel sniffled a little, rubbing his snout with the sleeve of his shirt, tears streaming down his face. "Y-you think it'd be okay? I did some terrible things as a flower, and I just..."

"Asriel, calm down. You're fine. You brought her back to life, you fixed that mistake. I'm sure Chara wouldn't mind getting to see the surface again. Maybe even see those golden flowers from their village once more, like you had planned on doing the first time. And we don't have to tell them about Flowey if you don't want to, I'm sure we can think of something else."

"B-but..."

"No buts, Asriel. We can do this. Together."

The two children smiled brightly at each other, wrapping each other in a tight embrace once more before moving back into the other room, hoping their friends were okay.

* * *

Your eyes slowly opened, your body aching from laying on hard ground for who knows how long. When you try to sit up, you grunt, realizing that something was laying on top of you. A very warm, very soft, very loving something. You couldn't help but chuckle as you wiggle your hands enough to gently pat the furry arms that clutched you.

"Hey love, mind easing up a bit? I kinda need oxygen to actually reach my lungs if I wanna live and stuff."

The large goat woman's arms seemed to only squeeze tighter, her face moving to the crook of your neck, her lips brushing gently across the sensitive skin there. "You weren't waking up... your Soul was cracking Quinn. I almost lost you... I couldn't... I didn't..."

You frowned, letting out soft, comforting coos to your Soulmate. "Shhh, shhh Tori I'm here... I'm here now, okay? I... I thought I lost you. I saw you fall... I saw you turn to dust..." With that little revelation, the monster flinched, slowly lifting you up into a seated position.

"I know Quinn. And I did... I remember feeling it. Falling down after being impaled. I felt myself slowly fading away. The look in your eyes as you tried to call out to me. I... I was so scared. My Soul was on the brink of shattering. But it just... refused to. You refused to let me go. And before I knew it, I was whole again."

You frown, nodding your head slowly. "All I remember after the world went white was this... empty place. Nothing around me. I pulled my Soul out, saw how dark it was... except for a stray strand of silver that had memories of you. I touched it... let it fill me with JOY. Then I saw your Soul. It was white and upside-down? I tried reaching for it, but I fell over. You know, missing a leg and all. But when I looked up it was you. You came back! And you told me to wake up. And here we are now..."

Toriel couldn't help but smile at you, leaning down once more to kiss your lips. You were interrupted, however, from two small coughs. You raise your brown, glancing around your lover's larger frame, your eyes growing wide.

Standing in the doorway that lead to the barrier was Frisk. Standing next to them, however, was a monster you didn't quite recognize. But, if you were to hazard any sort of guess...

"Frisk? Is that who I think it is?" You ask, clearly confused.

The monster child hid behind his friend, clutching at the human's striped sweater for comfort. Frisk, DETERMINED to introduce you to their friend, moved forward into the room. Toriel slowly turned, her eyes growing wide in shock.

"M-my child? Is this..."

"H-howdy Mom. It's... it's me. Well, Us, I guess..." The goat child idly rubbed the back of their head, a sheepish smile spreading across their lips. Frisk giggled a little, patting the nervous goat on the back.

"Asriel was able to come back thanks to Chara's Soul. Once we... took care of Flowey, he took all of the Souls and shattered the barrier. He even brought you back!"

With that, you rose up to your knee, scooting closer to the goat child, wrapping your arms around the small monster, fresh tears dripping onto his shoulder. "Oh god thank you... Thank you so much Asriel. Thank you for bringing her back to me. And for freeing us. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust."

The child looked confused, glancing between you and his mother. "Wait... you mean that you're really her Soulmate? Like, the two of you are gonna-"

"Yeah. I'm... uh... gonna be with Tori from now on. B-but don't think I'm trying to replace your dad, okay? I mean... oh shit, Asgore!" You bolt upright, looking around the room, then sigh with relief. All of the other monsters seem to be waking up. Sans was carefully shaking Papyrus' shoulders. Grillby and Gaster were in the process of helping a black-cloaked skeleton onto their feet. Alphys, Undyne, and Asgore were all still passed out near the far wall, but didn't seem hurt. Mettaton wasn't anywhere in the area, although you weren't sure if they had joined the others in their pursuit to find you.

"Well at least everyone's okay. Should probably get everyone back to the Lab first, though. Let everyone recover and gather some supplies before we go up top," you say, flashing a wide smile up at your Soulmate.

JOY had completely conquered DESPAIR in your darkest hour. Now all you needed to do was-

Your phone started to ring in your pocket. You frowned, pulling it up from your pants. flicking your finger across the surface you brought it up to your ear.

"Uh, 'ello?"

"QUINN!" came the voice from the other side, much clearer than the last time you had received a call. "Are you okay?! There was a massive earthquake or something near the mountain, I nearly crashed the car on my way back up to your cabin! What the fuck is going on up there!"

You chuckled softly, shaking your head. "Nothin' much, Viktor. Just the barrier shattering, freeing us from the mountain for good. No big deal."

"No big deal? Are you kidding me? I thought you said you needed a human soul to do that! Where the fu-"

"We had one down here. Apparently it was just forgotten about until now. We took care of it. We're gonna head back down and gather some stuff before seeing the surface, alright? Think you can make your way to the top without falling into random holes?"

"Well yeah, of course. I'll make my way up now. Go get your shit together, I'll be here."

With a soft click, the call was ended, leaving you with a big, dumb grin on your face.

You were going to get to go home. With your Soulmate and your newfound friends all in tow. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so once again the day is saved, thanks to the Po-wait a minute, this isn't a cartoon, this is my silly fan fiction. Oh well.
> 
> We get to see the Sun next chapter! Woooo!


	20. New Horizons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone takes a moment to breath and recover after the barrier has been shattered. With your new leg, your new friends, and your Soulmate, you finally see the sun once more.
> 
> Pretty straight forward I think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the end of act one of the story! This chapter is pretty light on anything major, but it's nice to finally be out of the Underground! Hope you enjoy!

It took a good solid hour to drag everyone back down to Alphys' home in Hotland, but in the end it was worth it. Sans was too drained to use his shortcuts with everyone, so you were tasked with helping the already conscious monsters carry those who had not yet woken up. One by one, the Monsters were laid down on whatever surface was available, whether it be a bed, a chair, a work table. Nothing was off limits for the most part.

Once the task was done, you slumped down onto the floor next to the work bench, staring up at the dim lights of Alphys' bed/workroom. You contemplated closing your eyes and resting for a moment, but found that you couldn't quite calm down your own head.

You saw your Soulmate die. You saw her fading to dust, right before your eyes. You heard the sickening laugh of a demonic flower as the vine was casually pulled away from the gentle goat monster. Yet she was alive, she was healthy and whole. She was here, with you, and she wasn't going away any time soon.

You couldn't help but laugh to yourself at just how absurd your life had become.

You're snapped out of your random musings by the yellow lizard monster clearing her throat, her nervous shuffling making you frown.

"Oh, need me to keep quite?" you ask, letting your voice drop to a more reasonable whisper.

"N-no!" she responded, but kept her tone quiet as well for the sake of the rest of the group. "I just wanted to let you know that t-the l-leg I was working on is right behind you. I-it's actually very similar to what M-Mettaton has for his own legs. H-here, let me h-help you."

Before you knew it, you were leaning against a wall, carefully moving the stump of your left leg into position over the rather advanced looking artificial limb.

"Okay, so I just need to press down for a moment while you work your magic?"

"Y-yeah! Once you push down, I'm gonna b-basically graft it to your skin. I-it won't hurt, I promise! Once the p-process is done, i-it'll be like you never lost your leg! I-it'll even feel like the real thing to everyone! And it won't ever come off unless you want to tweak it a little."

With a smile, you nod your head, pushing down on the limb and looking over to where Toriel was currently laying down, her arms wrapped around Frisk and Asriel protectively, eyes closed. You could see the tears of joy streaming down her face. She had her child back from the grave. She had a new child to protect.

It's a new beginning for her.

And for you.

* * *

Sans slumped down in a chair next to his father, who was busy running his fingers along the top of Grillby's flames like he was combing through hair. He sighed, leaning on one elbow, his skull resting on the supported hand as he watched the doctor and his mate recuperate.

"So, dad. Does this mean we'll be gettin' some flamin' babybones once things settle down on the surface?"

This caused Gaster to jump slightly, his purple eyelights glancing over at his eldest son. A small smile creeping on his face.

"Is that what you desire, Sans? To have another brother or sister to help care for?"

Sans' eyelights went out completely, beads of blue-tinted sweat forming on the top of his skull. "Uh... maybe? I mean, that'd be pretty cool, you know? I didn't think you'd take me seriously though, pops."

Grillby chuckled softly, gazing up at his mate, the flame reaching up to take one of the skeleton's hands in his own. "That would be a wonderful way to mark our new start on the surface, Gaster. And I'm sure you'll just love the... process. Much less painful than what you went through with the boys."

The older skeleton shuddered at that, glancing down at the holes in his palms. "Do not remind me. I still feel the burning sensation on my bones when I think back on it."

"What is this I am hearing about grandchildren?" Segoe asks, lifting her skull up from the borrowed pillow she had been resting on.

Everyone burst into soft laughter, keeping their voices down as best they can. There was plenty of time to worry about flaming skull children another time.

It was a new beginning for them all.

* * *

Papyrus and Undyne were busy packing up supplies in New Home for the trip up to the surface after waking up from their 'naps' in the Lab. The tall skeleton couldn't help but bounce with excitement.

"DO YOU THINK THE HUMANS LIKE SPAGHETTI LIKE I DO?!" Papyrus shouts from the other side of Asgore's house, grabbing multiple blankets, pillows, and anything else that would be needed for a night of stargazing.

"Of course they do you NERD!" the fish monster quips in return, jamming various containers of whatever food they could find in the kitchen. And tea. Because everyone loved Golden Flower tea!

"THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW! I WAS RATHER WORRIED I WOULD HAVE NO ONE TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH!"

"Haha, you can make friends with ANYONE, even if they didn't like your pasta! I mean, I'm the one who trained you how to make it! You can do ANYTHING up there!"

"CAN I JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD?"

"Probably not, Paps! I'm sure once we get up top the Guard won't be needed anymore! I mean think about it. Asgore's probably not gonna be king once all is said and done, and we're not gonna be fighting in any wars with the humans. So that kinda rules out there being a need for the Guard as it is now."

Papyrus nearly dropped the box of blankets and pillows he had been carrying into the kitchen, bright orange tears forming in his eyes.

"B-BUT... but... I worked so hard Undyne! I was supposed to... I mean..."

Undyne's eye grew wide with fright, quickly moving over to her friend, patting his cheekbones lightly. "Hey, hey there you big goober it'll be okay! I'm sure we can work something out on the surface! There's plenty of cool stuff you can do! Like, heck you can even start taking proper cooking lessons and become a chef! You could help me train people! I'm sure there are humans on the surface who like to exercise and stuff! We can train them how to not be wimpy losers!"

After a couple of sniffles, Papyrus' trademarked smile return to his skull, a few stray tears leaking onto the fish monster's scaled hands.

"Nyeh! You are right Undyne. THE GREAT PAPYRUS cannot let this change of plans ruin the moment! There is plenty to due! A whole world opening up to us. Wowie, I wonder what humans will say when they see me in my cool car!"

Undyne smiled happily to herself, letting go of the skeleton's face, turning back to the task at hand. A new world was opening up for them indeed.

A whole new beginning.

* * *

Everyone was finally up and moving after another three or so hours of sleeping and relaxing. A quick shortcut to the Ruins to gather your bags, as well as some things for Toriel (goodness she had a lot of socks for some reason) and you were ready to step foot back onto the surface.

Everyone was nervous about taking those few steps out of the cavern. One look over your shoulder told the story. Everyone was tense. Waiting for something horrific to happen. A second barrier, a rock blocking the doorway, something to ruin this moment.

You weren't going to let that happen.

Taking Toriel's hand, you stride forward, leading her outside with Frisk and Asriel clinging to her dress. The others followed close behind, wonder clear on their faces as you finally pushed out into the open air of the mountain's peak. The sun had started to rise nearby, casting orange and yellow light across the trees below them. Everyone's eyes were fixated on the giant ball, mesmerized by the beautiful sight before them.

You smiles up at your lover, squeezing her hand tight. "Welcome home, Tori."

Tears were trailing down her furred cheeks, gazing down at you with a massive smile on her lips. "Thank you Quinn. Thank you so much... this is the greatest gift anyone could have ever given me. It's good to be back home on the surface."

You open your mouth to respond, but are cut off by the buzz of your phone. You roll your eyes, fetching it with your free hand and answering the call. "Sup?"

"I'm on the mountain, on the way up to the lookout point. You out here yet?"

You blink a few times, looking at the rest of your group before pulling the goat monster with you. "Frisk, Asriel, stay with the others for a moment. I wanna meet up with my friend... Tori is coming with me for the first introduction. One at a time, yaknow?" They nod in response, happy to enjoy the sunrise with their other friends.

Quickly you follow the path downward, catching sight of Viktor just a hundred yards away. You pull your hand away from your Soulmate to start running towards one of your few remaining human friends, thankful that the blond man also started to jog. You meet halfway, arms wrapped around each other in a brotherly embrace, patting each other on the shoulders.

"You son of a bitch," Viktor says. "You had me worried sick..." His eyes slowly peaked over your shoulder, spotting the tall goat monster making her way over, his eyes slowly growing wide. "Wow... I knew you liked ladies with curves but DAMN Quinn!"

You pushed your friend away and gave a playful glare before waving your Soulmate over, resting your head on her arm for a brief moment. "Viktor, this is Toriel, my... uh... Soulmate. Like, seriously. Souls are real and mine calls to her. Cool stuff. Toriel, this is Viktor Hannah. He was the man who got me into wrestling seven years ago after I won my gold medals."

The woman smiled, offering a hand to the blond human, which he accepted graciously. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Viktor. Quinn spoke very highly of you when he was explaining what 'Wrestling' was to me the other night."

"Heh, cool. So... I saw you were runnin' pretty fast there..."

"Oh, yeah. One of the monsters is a really good engineer. I basically have a full functioning leg again. Doesn't ever need to come off, and it feels like a normal limb. I... Might be able to cash in on that title shot after all."

Viktor chuckled at that, nodding his head. "Gonna be tough, the old promotion folded a few years ago. Thankfully the title is still around, just with the Big Boys in the states."

You groan, rubbing your face. "That'll make things tough..."

"Nah, not too badly. I work with them as a trainer, I can put a good word in AND get the contract stuff validated for ya. Whenever you're ready you can have your time in the spotlight. But... first, I guess we need to take care of this whole Monster thing, huh?"

You sigh a little and nod, resting your head on Toriel's side once more. "Yeah. Guess we need to do that. There are a bunch of monsters up top as well as the kid I went tumbling after. We need to get them away from their old family for sure."

Viktor waved his hand, moving around you to make his way up the path, towards the other monsters. "We'll get to that in time too. Let's go! I wanna meet me some monsters!"

With a roll of the eye you turn to join Viktor, only to be stopped by your Soulmate. She smiles warmly down at you before lowering her face to your own, kissing you deeply.

Your Soul hummed with pure JOY at the kiss, your eyes closing as you deepen the kiss.

A new dawn. A new day. A new life.

A new beginning for you.

And it felt perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated before, this is the end of the first part of our tale. We still have quite a bit to go, so don't turn that dial! I'll be taking a few days off (been posting one chapter a day in this last stretch) but don't worry, new things will come soon!
> 
> Actual romance with Tori!  
> Gaster and Grillby settling down!  
> Asgore getting punished for his crimes!  
> Frisk fighting to stay with the monsters!  
> And so much more!


	21. Tear The Stars Out From The Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm. Everyone seems to be enjoying their first moments on the surface. Viktor has been nothing but a sweetheart.
> 
> Things are looking bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from my mini-break! Did ya miss me? Probably not, but here you go!
> 
> Side note: Yes, the title of the chapter is related to a wrestler's entrance theme. Freaking love Paige's theme. Also a fan of the finisher. It's a pun and everything!

Viktor Hannah rounded the corner so quickly, he almost knocked Alphys off of the cliff. This prompted Undyne to nearly suplex the over-eager human off the cliff. Thankfully you were able to catch up to everyone in time to calm everyone down before someone ended up dying. After a few moments of laughter, you pulled Viktor to stand next to you, waving your hand across the entire group.

"Viktor, I'd like you to meet my friends of the Underground. You've already met Toriel of course. The little lizard you ran into is Doctor Alphys, the royal scientist. The blue fish woman who almost gave you the most devastating belly-to-belly of your entire life is Undyne, captain of the guard. The massive goat is King Asgore Dreemurr, while the little tyke is Asriel, Tori and Asgore's son. Frisk is the kid who jumped down before I did. And then there's Grillby, the bartender flame guy, and Doctor Gaster, the skeleton with the cracks in his skull. The one with the red scarf is Papyrus, the one in the black cloak is Segoe, and the one in the blue jacket is Sans. Yes, the skeletons are all named after type fonts for some reason."

The group smiled and nodded their head as each one was introduced, eyes bright with wonder as they gave Viktor a closer look.

"Everyone, this is Viktor Hannah. He's the man who gave me an opportunity many years ago to become a wrestler after my time with the national Olympic team was over. Tori, this was the guy I kicked in the face." Viktor burst into laughter, giving your shoulder a gentle shove, his piercing blue eyes never breaking contact with the others. His blond hair was a lot shorter, only reaching the back of his neck as opposed to flowing down past his shoulders. He had recently started letting his beard grow out, and the grey of it was rather noticeable. Either he had stopped caring, or he hadn't had any chance to groom himself due to your disappearance.

"Nice to meet you all!" he barks, flashing a thumbs up. "Glad to see my friend all safe and sound, and on two feet no less!"

Alphys nervously raised her head, sweat beading her forehead as she spoke. "W-well I'm the one who m-made the limb. I-I k-kinda specialize in e-engineering. I made a r-robot and stuff, so making a leg that c-can be p-powered by the S-Soul was really easy i-in comparison."

"That's actually really cool! Does this mean he can fight again?"

Undyne scoffed at that, jabbing a thumb at her chest. "That punk beat me on his old leg! Of course he could fight with that thing!"

You roll your eyes at this, giving Viktor's shoulder a slight squeeze. "I'm not really sure what the point of being a wrestler really is anymore. ACPWA folded four years ago, my Baron Brawl winner's title match is practically null and void at this point."

The other human chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, that's the thing. The company didn't really fold, it got bought out by the big E in the states. They turned our old belt into their dumb ass World championship. I should know, I work for them now. Gimme a few days and you can have a surprise return match all set up!"

You roll your eyes, pulling away from your friend so you could stand with your Soulmate. You lean up, placing a small kiss on her chin. "That'll be nice, Viktor, but there are more important things we need to do. Namely, getting Monster's settled on the surface."

"Right, that's a good point. Gonna start making THOSE calls first. Wanna take them down to the cabin? Should have everything set up there still."

You nod, turning to your friends, eyes flashing with JOY. "Let's go guys! We can get settled down before the sun sets fully. You're gonna love the stars."

* * *

Frisk and Asriel trailed behind the adults, hand-in-hand as they gaze at the various trees and plants that surrounded them. The goat child was shaking rather noticeably, causing the human to look at them with a raised brow.

"What is it Asriel? Aren't you excited to be on the surface?"

The monster blushed, lowering his head when he realized he was caught. "It's just... the last time I was here, on the surface, was when I was carrying Chara's body. Back to the village with the golden flowers. Even though Chara had full control of my body at that point, I still had the chance to look around. It was so beautiful. It still is. I just wish my first memories of the surface could have been good ones."

Frisk nodded, leaning in to rest their head on top of Asriel's shoulder. "Don't worry about that. Quinn and Viktor are gonna make this better. Every time I'd make it to the surface before, I'd be forced into the roll of Ambassador. The adults never listened to me, which would result in Monsters not receiving full rights. Now, with an adult helping... this will be the best timeline. I pray it is. I don't want to have to go through this again."

The children jumped as a skeletal hand rested on top of their hands, their cheeks growing flushed when the soft chuckles of the short skeleton brushed against their ears.

"Yeah, I agree with that, Kiddo. Last thing I want is to go through all of this again. I mean, I get it. You want things to go right. But having to lie to Paps and the others about being up here for the first time when it's actually been our eighth or so? It really hurts."

Frisk couldn't help but look back at the skeleton with a nervous smile. "Well that's okay. You won't have to anymore. We saved everyone. Gaster, Asriel, and to a small extent Chara as well. We can all be a giant happy family now."

Frisk and Sans blushed a little, the skeleton rubbing the back of his head at the mention of family. Asriel looked at the two in confusion before their smile spread wide across their muzzle. "Oh my goodness! The two of you as so adorable!"

Sans' eyelights died out in his skull as he quickly looked at the goat child. "Not a peep to the others, kid. Please... Soulmate stuff is really complicated, but Frisk is still a minor..."

Frisk rolled their eyes, giving the skeleton a playful shove on the sternum. "They'd understand, Bonehead. I just hope you can be patient enough to wait a few years before you try anything."

Asriel's eyes grew wide, pulling his hand away from his friend. "Golly, Frisk! I didn't think your Bond was THAT strong to him!"

The human could only blush, idly kicking a stone off the path and into the nearby bushes. Only time would tell if things would work out like that between the skeleton monster and the human with a bright red DETERMINED Soul. Six to seven years can go by in the blink of an eye, after all.

Frisk hopes it does. They couldn't wait to spend the rest of their lives with the short skeleton.

* * *

The journey down the mountain was rather quick. The only person who needed to stop for rest was Alphys, who wasn't quite used to so much physical activity. This was quickly fixed by the muscular fish woman simply picking up and carrying the smaller monster in her arms. You couldn't help but smile, hand still firmly clasped in the massive paw of Toriel as she gazed around at the sky, the trees, the little skittering squirrels and birds...

When your group finally saw the cabin, they let out excited cheers and rushed towards the building. Except for Papyrus. The taller skeleton brother rushed towards your car, the blood in your face slowly draining. You pulled yourself away from your lover in the hopes of stopping the red-scarfed monster from damaging your precious baby, only to sigh with relief when he stopped a few feet away from it, staring in awe. Papyrus spun around on his heels, stars practically pouring out of his eyes as he waved his hand in the general direction of the vehicle.

"IT'S RED LIKE MY SCARF!"

You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head as you moved around your friend, brushing your hand along the top, brushing off the dust that had started to build up on it after sitting outside for days without being used.

"Yeah. This thing was a hunk of junk on the side of the road when I decided to take it. Got it fixed up and modified so I could drive it properly with my old leg. Now I can remove those mods and just drive it like normal, which'll be nice for sure. Come'er Pap, lemme show ya how it works."

The taller skeleton took a few steps forward as you threw open the door, slipping into the driver seat but keeping the door open. He kneels down so he can get a better look as you go through what each part of the car does. You even slide the seat back so you can let him turn the steering wheel a little.

"Wowie! I had no idea driving a car involved so many little buttons and nobs!"

You couldn't help but chuckle, patting the youthful monster on the arm. "It's okay, it just takes some time to get used to everything. You'll get the hang of it. And, whenever you do get your licence to drive and whatnot, we'll go out and get you the car of your dreams. Bright red and everything. Nothing too expensive, though. I may be a national hero but I'm not exactly made of money."

With a soft 'NYEH HEH HEH!' of joy, the skeleton stood up and posed, causing you to clap at the playful enthusiasm. This day was just getting better and better.

* * *

Everyone had finally settled down after a few hours of roaming around the cabin, poking at the various generic knick-knacks that littered the cabin. When the time came, however, everyone snatched up as many blankets as they could and hurried to a nearby grassy clearing. With everything in place (including a small campfire courtesy of Grillby's magic), everyone sat back and stared up at the darkening sky, in complete awe of the stars slowly dotting the black canvas of the sky above.

Every monster looked at the stars with tears of pure magic streaming down their cheeks. Even Grillby, which made you freak out a little at the strange lava-looking droplets landing on his clothes. It didn't seem to burn holes in his pants, though, so you calmed down.

Toriel was the first person to look away from the sky, her eyes meeting yours, a small smile creeping on her lips as she leaned forward, brushing her lips across your ear. "Thank you my love. Thank you for sharing this moment with me. With us."

You smiles warmly, reaching up to feel over her cheek, your emerald green gaze never leaving the smoldering purple-red gaze of your Soulmate.

"No one will ever take the stars away from you. I'll personally tear them down and take them with us if anyone ever tries it."

The goat monster couldn't help but smile, carefully rising to her feet and lifting you up in her arms.

"I think... I'd like to spend some alone time with you. I don't think the others would mind us slipping away for the time being."

Your heart, and your SOUL, thumped heavily in your chest. You could only nod your head as the larger woman carried you back towards the cabin. You couldn't help but see the slight mischievous smile painting her lips as she moved, a clear goal set in her mind.

You couldn't wait to see what happened next. You hadn't felt so much JOY.

It almost felt like you were on fire.

* * *

Viktor couldn't help but smile as he saw his friend and the tall goat woman walk back towards the cabin. He pulls out his phone, thumbing through his contacts carefully before finding the one he needed. He shot the contact a text. A string of very simple words that wouldn't really make sense to anyone but himself and his contact.

_They're here. It's over. No more resets needed._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sins are slowly crawling on my back...
> 
> Next chapter...


	22. Forevermore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING
> 
> You and Toriel decide to spend your first night on the surface together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the completely optional sexually explicit chapter! There is zero plot development in this chapter, and if you do not wish to read it, than please wait for the next chapter (Either later today or tomorrow, depending on when it's written).
> 
> I know not everyone wants to see sexually explicit content, hence why this is optional. Also, I am terrified of writing this. I'm going to be hiding over there once this is written.

You and Toriel made sure the bedroom door was locked at least four times each before you two finally sat down on the king sized bed together. You idly rubbed the back of your neck, cheeks flushed as you give your Soulmate a sideways glance. Even in the dim lighting of the bedroom, you could see her tender smile. Her paw gently laid on your shoulder, urging you to turn more towards her.

"My love," she started. "We do not need to do this right away if you are uncomfortable. I know that humans tend to take things a little slower than monsters. And I know I can be a bit... intimidating with my size. If you would rather us just relax for the night and talk..."

You shake your head, bringing a hand up to brush over the fur of her forearm. "No, Tori. I'm okay. It's just been a very long time for me. Seven years of wallowing in self-pity after my accident kinda killed any sort of romantic love life I used to have. Plus, now that I'm actually sitting here, I kinda feel... erm... small?" You can't stop yourself from blushing faintly, lowering your gaze from her own, only to feel her lift your face up by the chin. Her gaze is as fiery as ever, making your heart skip a few beats.

"I will not let you feel that way, Quinn. You are a good man, and a good Soul. And I rather enjoy having a smaller partner. Asgore was always a rather clumsy oaf of a lover. He constantly wanted to butt heads with me using his bigger horns." She rolls her eyes at that last part, causing you to chuckle. Your hands wander from her arm to her chest, slowly feeling over the mounds of her breasts through the fabric of her chest, a small burst of confidence escaping your lips when you are rewarded with a soft moan from your Soulmate. When your hand is pulled away, however, your eyes grew wide. Toriel's lips had curled into a slightly more wicked grin, her face inches away from your own.

"What a naughty man you are, Mister Quinn. What ever shall I do with you?"

You can't help but flash a nervous grin in return, trying to squirm away from the stronger woman. "I guess I should have asked first, or-"

"Oh no, you didn't need to ask first. I just don't think it was rather nice to do it while I'm still fully dressed. I mean, would you want me to try and squeeze you through your pants?" You shake your head no, earning a small giggle from your lover as she kisses you. Before you can protest, the goat monster's paws grabbed the edges of your jeans and tugged downward, slipping them off of your hips without even bothering to mess with the button and zipper. You're thankful you bought slightly baggier pants to better fit in with your bulkier prosthetic leg in the past.

You try to cover yourself with your free hand, but Toriel was having none of it. She snatches it up, bringing it over your head with the other hand, using the longer, stronger fingers to grip both hands together with a single paw. Leaving her free hand to move downward, slowly feeling over the rapidly growing bulge in your boxers. You curl your toes, a soft whimpering moan escaping your throat as she exacted her revenge.

"See? Not exactly fair to tease through clothing is it?"

"N-no..."

"Good boy." Tori finally drew her hand away from your lap, letting both of you see just how much of a tent you pitched through your own boxers. You squirm in her grip, wanting to try and do something, but it seemed to be your lover's turn still. She carefully drew your boxers downward, freeing yourself from the confines of your underwear. You open your mouth to speak once more, but one look from your Soulmate forced the words to die on your tongue. Carefully, she repositioned your arms so she could still hold them while kneeling down in front of you, pinning them against your stomach. "This would be so much easier if you wore a belt, I think..."

You cough at that, biting your lip. "W-wow, Tori, I didn't think you were into that sort of thing."

The monster gave a sly grin, licking her lips, brushing over those rather prominent fangs that curled over her bottom lip. "Is that so, dear? And what exactly do you think I'm in to? Go on, tell me. Tell me what you think I'm into. I'm listening..."

You swallow hard, your eyes fixed on your lover's gaze. "B-being so dominant. Being on top. Tying up my hands. Calling me a good boy? I just thought you'd be-"

"A bland little wall flower?" she asks, cutting you off from the rest of your sentence. "Oh stars no, dear. Part of my problem with Asgore as a lover was that we never quite saw eye to eye in the bedroom. Old school mentalities clashed with my needs. When we finally decided to at least try and have an heir, we did it as a compromise. I much rather take control." She grins, lowering her face down further, her lips inches away from the tip of your shaft. "However, as your Soulmate, I want to know if you want this. I can compromise with you as well. If you're not comfortable, I can let you in charge..."

You shook your head, your voice barely above a whisper.

"No, Tori. I... I trust you. Just go slow with this. I've never... My encounters were pretty vanilla."

And with that, she places a small kiss on the head of your cock... before pulling away, a soft, content rumbling escaping her throat. "Good boy. Now let's get you out of that shirt."

She releases your hands, urging you out of the rest of your clothing before pulling away from you. Before you could rise out of the bed to stand in front of her she holds up a hand, stopping you. You settle back down on the bed, leaning against your elbows as she slowly slips her dress down her form. You knew the monster woman was large, but you had no idea just how strong she was. She wasn't Undyne by any means, but you could tell that underneath the fluff of her fur and the slight layers of fat from years of home cooking, she was powerful. You briefly wonder if that is because of what kind of monster she is, but you're cut off by the sudden weight of the woman above you, her lips pressing against your own. This kiss was different. More needy, more lusty than any other she's given you. Your hands feel over her form, exploring her just like she was exploring your own body.

Her lips pull away from your own, only to trail down to kiss at your neck and shoulder. "Mmm... do you like what you see my love?" she asks, her voice dripping with desire.

"Yes, Tori. I-I really do..."

You let out a pained gasp as her sharp teeth nip at the crook of your neck, but don't pull away. She gives you several more nips along your shoulders and neck before sitting up, pinning your chest down with one hand as she slowly moves her lower body against you. You could feel her against your tip, slowly teasing you until you let out a whimper once more.

"Stars... I love it when you do that, Quinn. I think I'd love to hear you beg... go ahead. Beg for me to let you in."

You open your mouth a few times, trying to will your voice to work before finally speaking. "Please, Tori... I need you. I need you so badly. Please let me in..."

The monster laughed softly, wiggling her hips a few more times before pushing downward. You were much smaller than Asgore in size, but it was still a tight fit for you. Your hands instinctively went to her hips, squeezing them hard as she moves down, inch by blissful inch. Her eyes never left your face as you squirmed underneath her.

"Y-you're really... warm..." you say, panting even harder than before.

"Mmm... comes with the territory... my magic, plus being a larger, furrier lover than you've ever experienced. But you like that, don't you dear? You like my warmth. My fur. My large, soft curves." She leans forward, nosing into your ear, your heart nearly stopping from the way she growled at you.

"Y-yes! I-I do, Tori I really do. I love everything about you and I need more please!" you ramble on, practically shaking underneath her.

"Good boy...You're much more fun to play with than Asgore was. He never let me... take charge." Her nails slowly brushed over your stomach, feeling over the ridges that formed your abs. "He never let be in a leader in the bedroom. He was always the one to lead. Always the one to be the 'master' of me. But you? You let me be me. Thank you."

"Anytime... Mistress." You throw in that last part just to see what she'd do.

You weren't expecting her to stop. You weren't expecting her to look down into your eyes with clear shock.

Thankfully that shock turned into unbridled joy as she squeezed herself around you, both your body and your shaft, nearly sending you over the delicate edge. Her lips found yours as she continued to squeeze, moving herself, urging you on, feeling her nails digging into the skin of your shoulders as the two of you join together in earth-shattering release.

* * *

You and Toriel laid in bed for at least ten minutes after your second round, idly touching each other and staring up into each other's eyes. You were blushing like a madman, and she was looking rather smug.

"So, Quinn. You were serious about calling me Mistress before, huh? Oh I cannot wait to try things later on."

You chuckles, placing a soft kiss on the goat monster's left breast. "Well, let's just say I've always been a big softy in the bedroom. Let's just... keep this between us though, okay? I don't think people'd understand if I suddenly started wearing a collar or called you 'Miss' all the time."

She nods in agreement, patting your rear gently. "Of course not, dear. And to think, we haven't even gotten to play with my sock collection..."

You blink a few times, looking up at your Soulmate with a raised brow. "But you don't wear socks... or shoes for that matter."

She lets out a tiny giggle, nosing your forehead playfully. "That doesn't mean socks aren't sexy.

You'll see, my pet." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. Still in hiding.


	23. Forgive And Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everyone has gone to sleep, Viktor makes a few calls.
> 
> You and Toriel rejoin your friends, eager to start your new lives on the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Hopefully I didn't scare too many people away from the last chapter! There aren't going to be THAT many chapters like it, but just like before I will mark in the chapter summary when something of an explicit nature does come into being.
> 
> Welcome to the surface, monsterkind!

Everyone was sleeping calmly on the various blankets that were laid out in the forest clearing next to Quinn's cabin. Everyone but Viktor. Viktor had to wait many hours for everyone to pass out, then had to wait another half an hour or so to make sure no one woke up to stare more at the stars before rising to his feet and walking towards the treeline.

He sighed, fishing out his phone from his pocket, noticing that three unread messages were waiting for him. He read through them, rolling his eyes at the terrible penmanship. Rather than replying to the texts directly, he just hit the speed dial button and held the phone to his ear, leaning his back against a tree and closing his eyes.

After two rings, the person on the other side grumbled sleepily. "Viktor, what the hell is wrong with you? Why do you always make phonecalls at ass-o'clock in the morning?"

"Well hello to you too, Claira. Sadly, I had to wait for everyone to go to bed before I could respond. How's the kitten fairing?"

The groan from the woman on the other side of the line made the blond man smile in victory. He loved teasing the 'younger' woman a great deal.

"They're doing alright. S'not every day you get to find a cat who doesn't freak out in the presence of giant, awful smelling elixirs and shit. Now about this whole barrier thing..."

"Oh yeah, guess we should focus on the task at hand. Yeah, they finally did it. And they did it... perfectly this time. Like, not the usual definition of it either. The Children and the Scientist all made it out this time. Probably had to do with my friend Quinn. Gonna need to have you check on him though, something happened to his Soul and it's freakin' me the fuck out."

Claira gave a slight huff, the shuffling of bed sheets telling the man that she was sitting up. "What'ya mean? He's already a full grown adult at this point, his Soul shouldn't be changing Traits this late in life."

"That's the thing. There ISN'T a single trait in there. It's all of them. I think him falling into the Underground really made HIM the anomaly this time. If I'd known that I'd have given him the cabin years ago."

"Well try to get him in and I'll take a look. We might be dealing with something bigger than the barrier. What's the color? Just a rainbow or-"

"Silver. It's silver now. More on the white side of things than the black, but I can tell that it's darkened a couple of times, probably from whatever happened prior to the barrier shattering. Didn't get a full story from the group that came out. S'pretty funny too. They brought ALL of their most powerful reps with them. Pretty glad I'm the one up here and not Jakx. Poor kid would've fainted at least eight times from the amount of energy they give off."

Viktor's eyes shot open when  he felt himself being shoved harder into the tree, lifted slightly off of his feet. He could feel the magic around his Soul, his eyes whipping around until the settled on a face he was not too pleased to see.

* * *

Sans had heard everything. This human knew about Monsters. He was talking to someone about Quinn's Soul. He was dangerous. He lifted the blond man up and pushed him roughly against the trunk of the tree, eyelights gone from his skull.

"Hey there buddy, I think you gotta lot of explainin' to do. You know, before you **have a bad time.** "

Viktor had the nerve to actually bring the phone back up to his ear and mutter a 'call you back in a moment' before shutting it off. He held up his hands afterwards, his face and voice calm.

"Look, Sans. Give me ten minutes and I will explain everything to you. But I need you to put me down, alright? I can't do jack shit to you magically, I'm just a guy who got roped into things at a young age due to my family line. And no, Quinn isn't involved in any of this. Well, I mean, he IS now, because of his connection to you guys, but he's not part of my group or anything."

The skeleton monster grumbled, letting go of his magic, causing the human to stumble forward and face plant into the grass. "I deserved that one..."

"Yes, you did. Now get to talkin' Viktor, before I dunk your ass."

Viktor chuckled, sitting up on his knees and staying there. "The woman I was talking to was Claira Everbloom. She was one of several mages who were used to create the Barrier. Granted, she had no choice in the matter, but that's besides the point. After the Barrier was created, the two mages who were responsible for 'convincing' the others to help make it stronger attempted to have the other five executed. Thankfully, nothing came of it. When their plans were foiled they went off into hiding. The rest, deep in grief, decided to try and research various ways to break the seal. Over time, people like me came along to try and help out as best we could. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people like us in various places. Very important places. We're the ones who are going to help you guys out in terms of getting everything settled in smoothly."

Sans scoffed at this, letting the magic of his left eye flare in a wave of blue and yellow. "And how come you never did that in the other timelines, huh?"

Viktor held his hands up, fear clear on his face. "Hold on there, Judge. The only reason we couldn't before is that the timeline was incomplete. We could tell right away that it was, so there was nothing we could do. We always knew a reset would occur, so we just sat back and waited for something new to happen."

Sans paused at this... before his anger flared up once more.

" **T h e  f u c k  i s  w r o n g  w i t h  y o u  p e o p l e ?** " 

Viktor sighed, letting his hands fall to the sides. "It was never my call. There would always be something wrong. Frisk being killed at a rally. Monsters being kidnapped and tortured. That one time the dang flower murdered an entire city and forced a reset because he was bored... you get the picture. This timeline, however, everything has fallen into place. Asriel, Chara, Gaster... all three of those individuals had to be saved, but weren't in previous timelines. Any attempts to save them after the barrier was destroyed were failures. Our hands were tied."

The skeleton slammed his fist in the jaw of the human, watching as he tumbled backwards, laying on his back and rubbing his face. "I deserved that..."

"You realize what I've been through? What my friends have been through? **DO YOU?!** Frisk and I are going to have nightmares for the rest of our lives because of what happened. Gaster too, probably, depending on how much he saw in the Void. And you just want us to... what? Forgive and forget what you guys did to us?"

"No. I don't expect that Sans. But please, let me help you guys. Let me help make this right. I wasn't there all of those years ago. But Claira was. SHE has nightmares too. Of the torture the two other mages put her through. Of each and every monster's face as the barrier slowly came into being. I can't beg for forgiveness. I can't beg for you to forget. But let me and my friends make this right."

The Judge looked down at the Human's Soul. Dark blue. INTEGRITY. He grumbled, offering a bony hand to Viktor, who slowly grasped it.

"Tibianest, I wasn't expecting you to actually let me hit you in the face, Viktor. I thought you fought for a living or something."

The human rolled his eyes. "No need to be so sternum, Skeleman. Part of the show is taking the bumps needed to pop a crowd. Remember, I was the one who got kicked in the face by Quinn before getting squashed by his amazing flippy nonsense. You give AND take in wrestling."

The skeleton monster's eyelights returned to his skull, rolling them a bit as he moved back towards the camp. "Comin' Vik? The others will wanna wake up early to see the sunrise."

"Yeah yeah, on my way. I'll just shoot a text to Claira to bring in some of the mages. Just hope Asgore doesn't attack them."

"Eh, I'm sure it'll be alright in the end. I can feel it in my bones."

* * *

You and Toriel were curled up against each other when the door to the bedroom suddenly flew off of its hinges. Undyne and Papyrus were both bouncing up and down at the foot of the bed, eyes bright with pure excitement.

"PUNKS! WAKE UP THE SUN IS COMING UP SOON!"

"NYEH! DO NOT BE LAZYBONES LIKE MY BROTHER! EVEN HE IS UP EARLY!"

You groan, burying your face into the furry chest of your lover, muttering mostly to yourself 'just five more minutes guys...' before a pair of bony hands wrapped around you, tugging you out of the bed.

You hadn't bothered to redress after your lovemaking the previous night.

Undyne and Papyrus stared at you in awe as you quickly tried to cover your crotch with both of your hands, squirming in the strong skeleton's grip. "Put me down Papyrus! Jesus Christ you don't barge into people's bedrooms like this!"

You were gently set down on the floor as the scarf-wearing monster NYEH'd himself out of the room. Undyne, however, gave you a careful once-over, a soft whistle piercing through her sharp teeth.

"Wow Quinn, I didn't think you liked being Tori's chew toy!"

You grumble to yourself as you fish out a pair of boxers from the dresser nearby, slipping them on before turning to the fish woman. "That is none of your concern. What Tori and I do in our own bedroom is of no one elses concern. I mean seriously, I wouldn't come barging in on you and Alphys after a night of passion!"

This earned a deep blush and a nervous neck rub from the monster. "Ah... right. Sorry about that. It's just... you know. We were kinda eager to see the sunrise with everyone..."

You roll your eyes and pat Undyne's shoulder. "We'll be there. Lemme get dressed and get Tori up."

"No need, Dear," replied the goat monster, smiling brightly as she stood next to you and Undyne, still fully undressed. "It won't take too long. Undyne, dear, please let everyone know that I will be making breakfast after the sun has risen, alright?"

The fish monster couldn't even speak. She nodded her head instead, lips opening and closing... like a fish out of water. When she was out of the door, Toriel lowered her lips down to yours, waking you from your stupor.

"Good morning my love. Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I did. I didn't take you for being so open about being naked around Undyne..."

The goat monster couldn't help but giggle, waving her hand at the door. "Oh don't be silly dear! This is our bedroom. If Undyne wants to intrude, then she's going to have to deal with the consequences of her actions."

You couldn't help but smile at that, bringing a hand up to rest on her hips. "True enough. But we really should hurry. The sunrise will start any minute."

With a nod, both of you finally get dressed, carefully stepping over the battered door as you walked back out towards the clearing to enjoy the beauty of a rising ball of fire.

* * *

Claira was showered and dressed, ready to start the new day. She had calls to make, meetings to set up, a kitten to play with.

And a strange silver Soul to look at soon.

She just hoped that Viktor's text came true. She hated having to live the same life over and over again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully people can stop being mad at Viktor now. I mean seriously, nothing bad was going on!


	24. Old Wounds Reopened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone wakes up to enjoy a wonderful breakfast feast, only to be interrupted by the first 'unexpected' guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to bring in an expert on human-based magic and Souls to the fray!
> 
> Hope you guys are having a fun time reading this story, by the way. You guys have been so awesome. Don't be afraid to leave comments and stuff! And hell, even sharing the story with your friends is a big deal to me!
> 
> Anywho, enjoy!

By the time you and Toriel had made it outside, the upper edge of the sun had crested over the treeline, bathing the clearing in calming morning light. Everyone, monster and human both, smiled wide at the sight. It was the dawn of yet another day on the surface, one that would probably be more productive than the previous.

The first order of business, however, was to get everyone fed.

Everyone quickly poured into the cabin, settling down on whatever they could claim as a seat in the living and dining areas before you clapped your hands together.

"Alright, team," you start, letting your eyes pass over the crowd. "We're going to make a massive breakfast. My thoughts included pancakes, eggs, bacon... and maybe some good old fashion frizzled ham. Tori, why don't you get a feel for what everyone wants so we don't cook too much or too little. I'm gonna start making the pancake batter."

With a nod, the goat monster went to work, leaving you alone in the kitchen with only your thoughts. Last night had been the most amazing time of your entire life. You had never felt so loved, so comfortable in the arms of someone else. You couldn't stop smiling at the memories. Viktor had to go and spoil the moment by clearing his throat, tapping your shoulder lightly.

"I take it you had a good night's sleep last night inside, eh?" asked the blond man with a toothy grin. You open your mouth to shoot back a retort, only to notice the rather impressive bruise on his jaw.

"Jesus, Viktor. Did you get mauled by a cougar last night or something?"

He chuckled and shook his head, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. "Nah. Sans punched me in the face when he caught me making a phone call to one of my connections. Used some lingo that made him freak out a bit."

You frown at this, keeping your eyes on the fridge as you pull out the various ingredients needed for the pancake mixture. "Right. Connections. Not sure what that means, exactly."

"You'll see in a couple of hours. Just checked my messages, she's on her way here to introduce herself to the monsters. She'll be able to relay the info back to the rest of the group she's part of, who will spread the word worldwide by the end of the day. Monsters will be back in the people's lives by tomorrow. We'll then go through the process of making sure each monster goes to where they want to go. Pretty sure not every monster wants to stay in a place like this. Especially monsters who need certain climates to survive."

This gave you some pause. You slowly turned, looking at your long time friend, eyes narrowed.

"How in the world do you know something like that? You just met these guys for the first time."

Viktor gave a small, sad smile, pointing up to his bruised chin. "You can add your mark in if you want. Sans had every right to punch me and I'm sure you would love to do it too."

You turn away from the bowl you had set up for mixing to glare at your friend. "What are you hiding from me Viktor? How do you know so much about monsters?"

"Simple. The group I'm part of, that my contact is part of? The founding members were originally pawns used by a pair of psychopaths who wanted to be the only sources of magic in the world. Five men and women, forced to perform an act they had no desire to commit. The person coming here is one of them. I just hope... I just hope that Toriel and Asgore give her a chance to explain."

You grumble at this before pointing to the doorway. "Get Sans and Tori. We'll do it one at a time."

* * *

Claira had already made the four phone calls she needed to make, alerting the other head mages of the good news. Her precious little Kitten was curled up in a tight ball at the foot of her bed, asleep. Now she had to take the time to make her way to the mountain that used to serve as a prison for people she considered family.

Snatching up her favorite jacket and her helmet, the never-aging woman carefully made her way down the stairs of her home, flicking her wrist to make sure any doors she passed were locked tight (except for the bedroom, which she kept open a crack so her kitten could use the litter box down the hall). Once everything was set, it was just a brief three steps to her precious motorcycle, slowly brushing her hand along the seat.

"Ready for a good ride, girlie? We're gonna get to see Tori and Gorey here in a bit!" she giggles to herself, slamming the helmet over her head and climbing on. The journey would be rather quick, maybe half an hour at the most.

Mainly due to the little zips she took when no other traffic was around. No one would notice a shortcut or two...

* * *

"You... are serious about this, Viktor? The five who aided our worst enemies were able to break free?" Asgore asked, gaze stern as he squeezed his hands together.

"Yup. Claira said she'd be calling up the others today to get everything set up. She might be on her way now to say hi."

You cut in before Asgore could flip over the granite counter top somehow. "Asgore, think. Viktor has been my friend for years. He hasn't shown any signs of ill will when it comes to helping us out. The last thing he'd do is try to hurt you guys. If he trusts this Claira person, then we should at least give her a chance to speak. Besides, Tori seemed to like the idea of seeing her again."

You were correct on that front. The moment Viktor had mentioned the mage's name to your Soulmate, her mood instantly brightened. Asgore, however, was acting in the exact opposite fashion. This was starting to become an issue, and it needed to be resolved before everyone poured into the room to eat.

"Quinn, Viktor, you must understand my perspective on this. She was one of the mages who locked us Underground, willingly or not. She represents many monster's worst nightmares. There must be some other venue we can pursue."

"Nah, wouldn't work, Gorey. Think about it. With our help, this gets done in a day, two days tops. If you try going it alone, it'll take months, maybe even years. If ever. We aren't even asking for anything for this. You guys got screwed over big time all those years ago, and we're gonna help fix it. Please. Just trust me."

The goat man looked so tired, so drained as he lowered his head into his hands. "Alright. I'll give her a chance. But only a small one. She must earn my favor once more."

The tone of his voice sounded... strange to you. You weren't going to pry, though. There was clearly some sort of baggage there that you didn't quite understand just yet.

"Breakfast is ready everyone! Make a line and I'll fill up your plates!" Toriel announced, cutting off your thoughts. You smiles, carefully rising to your feet.

"Kids first!" you say, waving Asriel and Frisk to the front of the line. The two children had been so close, and you were happy about that. Frisk didn't need to go back to that terrible family, Asriel had his sibling back in some small capacity, and the others had joined forces to make the biggest and best family unit you could imagine.

Life was pretty darn great. Your Soul was filled with a great amount of JOY at the future possibilities.

* * *

Claira carefully pulled her bike up next to the beat up red sedan in front of the cabin, pulling off her helmet and setting it on the handlebar before moving towards the door. She gave a small knock before pushing it open, the scent of recently prepared breakfast foods making her stomach grumble. She forgot to eat before leaving her house like a smart person, clearly.

Carefully, the KIND mage made her way towards the sound of the commotion, her eyes wide at the sight before her.

Everyone was laughing and having a great time. Even Viktor was cracking a smile or two as the red-scarfed skeleton gave an earth shattering scream to announce his displeasure at his older brother's puns. The laughter died down, however, when the former Queen turned her head, catching sight of the woman in the doorway and raised her hand to shush the crowd.

Claira had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Mainly she was hoping that the scars that formed from getting hit in the face with a fireball wouldn't be too damaging. However, instead of straight malice, she was greeted by a genuine smile.

"Ahh, there you are! You were here just a tad too late. I would have prepared you a plate had I known."

Claira rolled her eyes, moving into the room. Before she could approach any closer, the goat woman had stood up and wrapped her arms around the mage, lips closer to her ear as she spoke. "It's good to see you again, friend."

"Good to see you too, Tori." She smiled wide, patting the woman's back before glancing around her to look at the rest of the group. Asgore's eyes seethed with inner rage, but was trying to be civil in front of his ex wife by the look of things. The others just seemed confused.

"Mmm...I guess we could give them a history lesson, Tori."

"Yes. That'll be our best starting point I think. After all...

This story only had one side before." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna have a hard time figuring out names for the rest of these mages, but it'll get done!
> 
> Probably will be a couple days for the next chapter, unless I get suddenly inspired. No worries though! Just trying to not burn myself out.


	25. Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claira tells the story of the human mages who locked the monsters under the mountain.
> 
> Frisk, Asriel and Papyrus all sit around while the adults talk about heavy things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking Wednesday off, folks. I was feeling a bit sick for most of the day, then ended up having to go into Hellfire Citadel for raid night. By the time we finished up I was too drained to write. So here you go with the new chapter!
> 
> Fair warning, I am terrible at names. So very. Very. Terrible.

You caught Toriel's eyes when she looked your way, catching a silent plea from just a simple look. Maybe this whole Soulmate thing also gave you mind reading powers? You chuckled at that as you stood up from your seat, tapping Frisk and Asriel on the shoulder. "Come along you two. I think this conversation is a little bit more graphic than what you guys should be subject to for the time being."

Frisk pouted at this, their eyes flashing with their inner DETERMINATION. "Why? You know that I can handle this. And Asriel is a lot older than he looks!"

You sigh a little, kneeling down in front of the child, giving a weak smile. "I know that, Frisk. Really, I do. But we're dealing with mages right now. Who knows what'll happen in this room in ten, twenty minutes time. I want the two of you to be safe and sound, away from any projectiles that get thrown your way. Hey, how about I send Papyrus with you! The three of you can hang out on the little laptop I have up in my room. Bet you guys could find some games on there that the three of you would like."

At the sound of his name being mentioned, the tall skeleton jumped up from his chair, posing rather dramatically. "YES, HUMANS! I, the GREAT PAPYRUS, shall take care of the children while the strange human tells her story! NYEH HEH HEH!" Before anyone could react, the red scarf wearing monster scooped up both children in a single arm, jogging up the stairs. The slam of a door was the signal for everyone to breath a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for sendin' Paps away too, Quinn," Sans says, rubbing the back of his skull nervously. "That was pretty quick thinkin' on your part. I didn't want him to hear this either."

Gaster nodded, clutching his Soulmate's hand tight. "I agree. Things are going to be rather tense with this particular mage here. My son isn't ready for the darkness this world can throw at it."

Before you could respond to that, however, a very angry looking Asgore rose to his feet, baring his sharp teeth. He had summoned his red trident when no one was looking, it seems. "You better explain yourself, MAGE. I trusted you with my life on so many occasions. TOO MANY! I watched as the humans slaughtered my people. Innocents who were just trying to avoid the fight! I watched one of the mages rip one monster in HALF! Why should I trust you!"

Toriel, for what it's worth, was really keeping her composure, hand rested on the mage's shoulder as she turned to look at her ex husband. "Asgore, do you want me to finish what I started back in the Underground? Quinn spared you once from my own Judgement, but with your current display, I doubt he'd try to stop me again."

The hesitation, the guilt that flashed on Asgore's face told the entire story. He let go of his weapon, letting it clatter on the table before it disappeared entirely. He slowly slumped back into the chair, and for the first time looked smaller than Alphys.

"Well this was an exciting way to begin a new day," Segoe said, still sipping on her orange juice. All eyes turned to the one-eyed skeleton woman, who only gave a small smile. "What? Just making an observation, tra la la."

Claira's eyes grew wide, pulling away from the goat woman to approach the cloaked skeleton. "Segoe? What happened to your head! H-how did you survive a blow like THAT?!"

The skeleton rolled her eye, reaching up to feel along the edges of the missing portion of her skull. "Oh, this? Took a war hammer to the noggin. My fault really, I was too busy trying to get Gasty to the entrance of the mountain." Everyone but Gaster laughed at the cute nickname, while the scarred skeleton grumbled and buried his face into Grillby's chest. "I did almost Dust that day, but thankfully I made it to a healer in time. When the Barrier was formed, I decided to take on a new role. I did rather like those old stories fascinating, especially of Charon the ferryman. Even had this cloak made to mask my magic so I could keep an eye out on everything without anyone knowing who I was. Good times indeed."

You carefully approached the mage, resting a hand on her left shoulder, causing her to jump. You give a small smile, trying to settle her down. "Alright. I think it's time we had that talk, yes? I'm sure the monsters here wanna know why you helped form the barrier and whatnot, and with the way you and Tori act, it wasn't exactly a willing spell casting session."

The human gave a humorless chuckle, shaking her head. "Oh poor, sweet, innocent Quinn. You have no idea..."

* * *

Pain. Pain, suffering, loss. These were all fixtures of Claira's life at the moment. The unsteady peace between Humans and Monsters had been shattered when two magically versed humans began to kill the poor creatures in their own homes for sport. The two mages had woven tales of wicked beasts hell-bent on taking the Souls of every human in the country to become gods. That fear mongering led to full blown war.

Claira had been brought in as a healer, known around her home for her healing elixirs that she personally enriched with magic. The fact that she was forced into helping the humans destroy a people who had done no wrong made her sick. So she defected. She fled to the Monsters. She was accepted by them. She helped mend the wounded, alongside a young goat woman named Toriel. Everything was fine, until the mages came for her. No one was turned to dust during that attack, thankfully. But she had been captured, dragged away to a prison built specifically to lock her magic down.

Pain, suffering, loss. These three words were all Claira knew as the two hooded figures stood in front of her, their voices piercing her ears like thin daggers.

"You can end this any time, KINDNESS. You can help us with our plans to erase our competition from this world. Help us remove the FILTH that plague our lands so that we may be the most powerful magic users."

Claira mustered all the strength she could just so she could spit on their feet. The mage on the left delivered a wicked backhand to the woman's cheek, while the right tightened their grip on the KIND mage's Soul. The green was slowly losing its color with each passing moment of dread.

"If you are not going to accept us willingly... we will need to resort to more drastic measures..."

Before the woman could respond, something strange happened. Tendrils of red magic surrounded her Soul, covering it. Consuming it. Color drained from Claira's eyes, her body slowly growing limp. She fought internally against this magic. This corruption. But nothing happened. She was rising to her feet against her own will. In her mind she screamed, but her body was not hers to control anymore.

The mages had their fifth 'volunteer'.

* * *

"Wait a sec," Sans cut in, raising a hand. "You mean to tell me that these two could just... corrupt a Soul and enslave them? How the fuck does that work?"

Claira sighed and shook her head as you watched on in complete shock. "It's very dark magic, my little skeleton friend. With how much blood and dust were on their hands, it was no surprise they would discover something so wicked. According to the others, all of them had suffered from that fate. Two DETERMINED mages working in tandem can be devastating, even to fellow mages."

This prompted you to cut in. "If there were seven human mages involved, wouldn't one of them have to be a different Trait? I thought the Barrier used one of each type."

Toriel rested a hand on top of yours. "Well, that's actually not true. For whatever reason, no human mages have ever had an orange Soul. BRAVERY seems to be too physically inclined for magic to work. This isn't the case for Monsters, of course, but in humans? Never happened, and probably never will."

You frown at this, idly rubbing your chest. "Well that sucks I guess. I mean, I always thought of myself as being pretty BRAVE and stuff, but after the funny business with my Soul turning silver..."

The woman lifted her hand, shaking her head. "We'll talk about your Soul stuff in private later, Quinn. Right now we should focus on the story."

* * *

Asriel and Frisk both had their ears pressed to the door, trying their best to listen in on the conversation downstairs. Papyrus, on the other hand, was busy looking at the various videos of cats he had stumbled into when trying to figure out how to work human internet. He kept babbling about how cute each little puffball looked, brushing a gloved finger along each little image in an attempt to pet them.

"Ugh, this isn't working Frisk! I wanna know so badly!" Asriel complained, stomping his feet in frustration.

"I can't either, Az. I hate this..." Frisk mutters, idly scratching at their neck and throat. Their voice had been cracking for the last few hours, a reminder that they were actually growing older. That they were slowly going to start developing into a beautiful woman. They shivered at this. Would they want her to start dressing up like a girl again? Would Sans force her into cute dresses and demand to go to fancy restaurants like her parents had? She sighed and pushed away from the door.

"What's wrong Frisk?" asked the goat child. "Does your throat hurt?"

"Oh, no. I'm just... starting to realize that I'm actually going to start growing up for real now. Trying to picture what'll happen to me down the road, you know? Trying to convince myself that Sans isn't going to be like my parents, forcing me into frilly girly clothes and stuff..."

"He'd never do that!" Asriel hurried over to his friend, rubbing their arms with his soft paws. "Trust me. Sans won't care what you wear and stuff. I mean look at him! He wears SLIPPERS everywhere!"

This got the two children giggling like mad.

"Frisk! Asriel! Come here and help me solve this puzzle!"

The two children smiled at each other a bit before hopping over towards the bed. All color left Frisk's face when he realized that Papyrus had located a website that none of them should be looking at. The human child quickly scrambled to close the window before the skeleton could do any more damage.

Papyrus was too innocent for his own good, but Frisk was not going to be the one to break that sweet little sugar skull. He'd have to wait for whoever his Soulmate was for that to happen.

* * *

The story had been told. Everyone in the room was in tears. Undyne actually left the room to sit outside to compose herself for a moment, with Alphys leaving shortly after to comfort her friend. Asgore had his head in his hands, shoulders shaking. The skeletons (and Grillby) were all huddled together, squeezing each other for whatever comfort they could muster. You had Toriel in a death grip, your face pressed between her breasts.

Claira wasn't crying. They looked too drained to cry at the moment.

"So... yeah. Long story short, we were forced to channel our magic into the other two mages as they formed the barrier. When that was done, they turned to the nearby soldiers and ordered our execution. We were taken to the King's dungeons to await further orders, but by some small miracle, he showed us mercy. He somehow found out about the Twin's twisted magic tendrils and ordered for them to be captured instead. They got away. The five of us were let go about a month after the barrier was formed. Myself, along with Rowen, Dera, Borr, and Senitha, needed to do something. We started working together to find a way to break the barrier peacefully. We also got to work on setting up systems to ease you guys back into the world once you guys were out. Granted, that last part didn't happen until a good hundred years ago, but that's not the point."

She took a deep breath, leaning back against the wall. "We are going to get you guys settled in extremely fast. You'll have your pick from a bunch of different places, all over the world. We can even help pick out proper places for monsters who need specific biomes to survive. This isn't enough to earn your forgiveness for what has happened. This isn't enough to heal those wounds. But it's a start, yes? It's always a start..."

You shocked yourself when you opened your mouth to speak, your head turned to look at the mage.

"Yes, it is a start. This is all a big, new start. For all of us. Thank you for your hard work so far, Claira. You and Viktor have a lot on your plate it seems... but the only thing I ask... the only thing I want above all else is for my family to be safe. That includes Frisk."

Viktor finally chimed in, brushing his fingers through his hair. "Already on it. Sent Senitha over to the house to conduct an investigation. She's a rather JUST person, if you catch my drift."

You gave a small smile, nodding your head. "Good enough for now."

Toriel leaned down, placing a small kiss on the top of your head, filling your Soul with JOY at the simple gesture.

A small question was burning into the back of your head, though. Should you stay in Canada, or should you move somewhere else?...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it! Thank you guys so much for giving this story a chance so far. Probably a couple more chapters here in the cabin before we break everyone up to explore the outside world!
> 
> Oh, right. I did finally start up that tumblr account. I'm at bathiankittlore.tumblr.com but I haven't exactly sat down and done much with it. I haven't even gone through and posted the chapters up yet. I do have an ask box up and running though, come say hi! Or if you wanna draw stuff, link it that way!


	26. JUSTICE Reigns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senitha is having none of it. She is so done with everything ever. So done.
> 
> Viktor tries to cheer up Undyne by forcing you into an impromptu match. Hilarity ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the story everyone! Enjoy the ride!

Senitha carefully pulled up to the front gate of the community that used to house the human child who freed all monsters from the Underground. The golden amber color of her right eye was making the inside of her squad car practically glow. When she was told to investigate these assholes, she knew she was going to have to break a few of her moral conventions to get the message across.

She let the glow in her eye die down as she slips on her aviator sunglasses, glancing to her left at the rent-a-cop sitting at the checkpoint. They were too busy eating a powdered doughnut to even realize an officer of the law was sitting right in front of them. Carefully she rolled down her window, pulling out her badge and clearing her throat.

"Officer Senitha Yellowsong. I'm here investigating the disappearance of a child named Aurora Roode. Their parents are said to live in here and I already have a warrant. Just open the gate. Please." The mage wasn't the greatest when it came to PATIENCE but she was trying her best to not sound too demanding.

The guard nearly fell out of his chair, his beard covered in powder from his treat. "Oh, uh, right. Third house on the left." He mutters, buzzing the gate to the community open. Senitha quickly rolled up the window as she pulled forward, shaking her head as she glanced at each and every house in turn.

Growing up in an era where being rich resulted in you being royalty, and being pour meant you were practically slaves, being near this era's rich folk always left a sour in the JUST mage's mouth. She preferred working with people in need rather than rich snobs with too much time to kill, but she wasn't going to be helping them. She was helping a lost child who had been subjected to multiple timelines of pain and suffering.

Time to get to work.

She quickly pulls into the driveway of Roode Manor, taking note of the bars that lined the top window. Why were their bars up there? She grit her teeth, feeling her Soul pound with rage. She took a few short breaths after she shut off the engine, letting her magic come to a rest before climbing out of the standard looking squad car. The trek up to the door was brief, with the rather tall woman's long strides carrying her to the door.

Pulling out her badge once more, she rings the doorbell and gives the door a series of hard knocks. The door opens a few moments later, revealing Mr. Roode. Balding, worn out Mr. Roode.

He smelled like death. His Level of Violence was nearly twenty. Her magic flared up at this, but she simply held up her badge.

"Officer Senitha. Are you Connor Roode?"

The man nodded, his eyes dull. "Yes I am. What do you want, Officer? I'm rather busy at the moment."

She sighs, setting the badge aside before drawing out a pad of paper and a small pen. "I'm here investigating Aurora's disappearance. No one else has even bothered to come here due to the fact they were so 'invested' in the worthless search and rescue. That ends now. From the look of things, there are bars covering the upper windows. Care to explain that?"

The man actually sneered, leaning against the door frame while giving you a once-over. You really wish you could just grab this man and make him pay for his sins, but he needed to do this by the book... for now.

"I doubt that is any of your business. You're not welcome in here." That wasn't a jab at Senitha the officer. That was a jab at Senitha the woman. Slowly, the mage slid her pen back into her pocket before taking off her sunglasses, revealing her golden eye. The man instantly recognized something was wrong, taking a few steps back.

"I am most certainly welcome here. Especially taking a peak at that Soul of yours. Pretty impressive LOVE you got there, Mr. Roode. Care to explain why you have so much blood on your hands?"

The mage steps into the house, quietly closing the door behind her as she advances towards the now cowering man, letting her magic surround him. This was going to be a rather long confessional session.

* * *

Everyone had parted ways to explore and play in the forest, giving you and Viktor a chance to catch up. You're sitting on the steps that lead upstairs, while Viktor casually leaned on a wall, eyes closed.

"So what happens now? This Senitha person is going to check up on Frisk's house, other mages are getting world leaders clued in on everything. But what about us right now? We can't just sit up here on this mountain, we'll run out of supplies sooner or later."

"Nah, don't worry about it Quinn. It'll probably be ready to go by tomorrow morning at the latest. What exactly are you thinkin' about doin' here, once everyone's free to go, huh?"

You sigh, rubbing your face with both hands, a soft groan escaping your throat. "I'm not sure. I was thinking of moving everyone to California. Well, like, my family and friends and whatnot. Not ALL the monsters. Like, Canada has been my home for ages, but with California, we'd be close to things that everyone wants. Mettaton will be able to go to Hollywood. Undyne and Alphys can have their pick of any beach along the coast. Plenty of schools for Tori to get her teaching licence whatnot..."

Viktor chuckles, resting a hand on your shoulder. "And a place where you can train for your first match!"

You roll your eyes at this, giving Viktor a pointed look. "You really think I'd be good enough to get in the ring? I haven't wrestled in-"

"A COUPLE DAYS!" shouts an over-eager fish monster, her eye wide and bright. She was practically flexing as she stared at you, her body shaking with excitement.

"Oh, right. Yeah we did have that little tussle a couple days ago in the mountain. Granted, you broke my leg with a spear in the process, but-"

"Fuhuhu! It was AWESOME! Don't you deny it, PUNK!"

Viktor watched the exchange with an amused smirk, carefully striding towards the monster. "Well, darlin'. Do you wanna see what a real one on one match looks like? I'm sure Quinn here isn't as rusty as he looks, and I'm always up for a challenge."

You carefully rise to your feet, catching on to Viktor's act, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him away from the fish, your eyes blazing with excitement. "Are you serious? Last time the two of us fought, I laid your ass out! There's no way you can beat me now!"

Viktor shrugged off his shoulder, flipping his hair back as he gave that smug grin he always gave during his entrance. "Oh dear, sweet Quinn. Your ass is tapping out in two minutes."

You chuckled, shaking your head as you moved towards the back door. "You can't put on a hold if you're picking up teeth from the grass!"

Undyne was eating this all up. She couldn't tell that it was all an act. She was too excited. Quickly, the captain followed the pair of humans to the outside, towards a small building about twenty yards away from the cabin itself. No one had bothered to look at it, but now was a good of time as any to bust it out.

Inside of the building was a small gym, including a basic looking ring, all set up and ready to go. Without a second thought, you pulled off your shirt and shoes before rolling under the bottom rope. Viktor followed close behind, choosing to climb up to the apron and hop over the ropes instead. A quick series of stretches and bouncing off the ropes (to test how taut they were) later, you two were ready.

You and Viktor clashed, just like you had seven years ago. Your eyes blazing bright with JOY as you worked through the simple sequence. Performing a leap-frog over a running Viktor was a rather unique experience on the new leg, but you cleared over his head with ease. Undyne hooted and cheered for the combatants as they worked through move after move.

Before you knew it, Viktor had caught your wrist, yanking you down to the mat and pulling backwards in a simple armbar. You grunt in pain, slamming your foot to the mat as you try to inch your way towards the ropes. Slowly... Slowly... You make it. Viktor breaks the hold, but gives your side a kick to the ribs as a receipt. You crawl towards the corner, resting your back against the bottom turnbuckles as Viktor sets up in the opposite corner. Giving a nod to the left, he charges forward. Just at the last moment, you roll in the indicated direction, causing him to slide into the ring posts.

Undyne gives a small wince at that, but you don't stop. You quickly grab the fallen fighter's hand, dragging them into the middle of the ring. A series of small stomps later, you threw your arms up, setting up in a corner yourself. You stood. You waited. You tapped your foot to an unheard rhythm. Viktor slowly rose to his feet, turning towards you...

You strike forward, kicking him square in the chin. He falls, landing perfectly near a corner of the ring, about a third of the ring's length away. You smile, quickly hopping over the man before climbing up the turnbuckles. You don't even notice the door open as you stand there, gazing down Viktor. Two breaths.

Then you leap.

* * *

Senitha gazed around the basement of Roode Manor in disgust. It wasn't every day she could feel this sick to her stomach, but with how strongly this place smelled like death and decay, it wasn't that hard to react that way. She quickly fished out her phone, sending a series of text to the other mages, muttering expletives at herself as she goes.

Connor Roode would have many sins and crimes to pay for. Especially with the rotting corpse of Leslie Roode chained to the wall like some sort of trophy. This could have easily have been Aurora.

Senitha wouldn't have been surprised if they had been tied up in this room like that in a timeline or two. The thought of such a vicious, cruel act caused her yellow magic to burn once more, practically consuming part of her face in that righteous fire.

No one was hurting that kid. Not on her watch. She wasn't going to let anyone suffer like she had.

* * *

You and Viktor were sitting on the ring apron, panting with exhaustion from the sudden burst of activity you had just gone through. After your flight through the air, the shocked gasp of your Soulmate and the human mage Claira cut you both off from the rest of the routine. You now sat here, explaining what exactly was happening.

"Undyne wanted to see us compete, so we did. We tried to recreate the Baron Brawl match as closely as we could. Wasn't that hard to do to be honest," Viktor says, rubbing the back of his head.

"But it looked so REAL! That was AWESOME!" Undyne chimes in, her eye practically sparkling in glee.

"That's the point, actually," you cut in, leaning back against the ropes. "What we do is called a work. We 'work' the crowd into believing whatever story we are trying to tell. That kick to the jaw? Barely grazed him. Notice how there's no bruise or anything? That's because the sound wasn't actually the kick connecting. It was me, slapping my hand against my thigh. Now, throwing each other around in various suplexes still hurts, but we've learned how to take those 'bumps' properly."

The fish slowly nodded her head, still looking on in awe. Claira slowly rubbed the bridge of her nose, clearly not impressed. "Why in the world would the two of you be fighting like this?"

Viktor smirked at the mage. "Oh come on, dear. I know you loved seein' me in my tights before."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I couldn't care less about your stupid fake fighting bullshit."

You roll your eyes, hopping off of the ring and wrapping your arms around the goat monster, smiling bright. "Sorry about that love. I was just tryin' to have fun."

Toriel giggled softly, patting your cheek with one large paw. "Oh come now, I know you loved your work. I think you'd be great if you gave it another chance. And I've love to be able to go when it happens. Just to watch."

Your Soul nearly jumped out of your chest to latch onto hers in another, much more intimate embrace. "Th-that would be amazing, Tori. It'd probably not be that fun for you..."

"Nonsense, Quinn. Spending any sort of time with you would be rather fun. I might not exactly enjoy the more violent parts of what you do, but I can see the artistry, the passion you put into it. Your Soul hums so sweetly as you move..."

"NERDS!" Undyne shouts, giving you a playful shove in the back.

"I don't know about that Undyne. I saw how much you were spooning with Alphys when you were trying to get to sleep last night," Viktor says with a playful glint in his eyes.

You never would have imagined that Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard, the most bad ass fish in the sea, would actually blush.

"Sh-shut up!"

The room is full of laughter in a flash, the fish monster throwing up her hands and running out of the room.

Probably to go hug the shit out of her lizard girlfriend.

You smiled.

Claira's phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, taking a look at it for two seconds before nearly crushing it in her hands, eyes flashing with a deep forest green. The tendrils of magic radiating rather harshly from her body.

"That was Senitha. Frisk's father has an LV of 19.

Frisk's mother was one of the bodies.

The place stinks of the Twins." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be surprised if we do a time jump here in a little bit. Seriously we're 26 chapters in and this has all taken place over the course of a few days at this point.


	27. The Hunt Is On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mages scramble to find the Twins before they can stop monsterkind from joining the rest of the world.
> 
> You and the rest of the group decide to watch a movie, not knowing what is happening in the city nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, bringing you all a new chapter to wrap up some of the darker plot points that have just surfaced over the last couple of chapters! Hope you all enjoy!

You've never seen Viktor move so fast to in your entire life when Claira said those last few words. Before you, or anyone else, could say anything, the other two humans were in their respective vehicles and down the path back to the city. You glanced over at your friends, shrugging your shoulders as you slipped your shirt back over your head.

"Well that was certainly something, huh? I wonder what they meant by twins, though. Is that just reference to their Souls or-"

"No, dear. They were actually twins. I never found out what they looked like, but from all reports they were born at the same time from the same family. I just hope our new found allies stay safe on their search. We should go back inside now, and make sure Frisk stays safe."

You couldn't help but agree, landing a quick, chaste kiss on your lover's cheek before following her back into the cabin. It was going to be another long day in the cabin. A long day of waiting. Hopefully no more random excitement will disturb everyone. Maybe you could fish out a movie.

Movies always served as a good distraction.

* * *

Senitha didn't have to wait long for the rest of the mages to arrive at the house, her yellow eye blazing hot. Dera, the PATIENT mage, rested a hand on their friend's shoulder, their ice-blue gaze a more calming experience for the fiery hot mage of JUSTICE. Rowen and Borr, PERSEVERANCE and INTEGRITY respectively, were already busy scanning the other rooms of the house for any trace of the Twins.

"Thanks Dera. Fucking can't believe they're here, after all this time. Why now? They've been in hiding ever since they botched the execution orders."

The other mage shrugged, carefully bringing a hand up to feel over the chains that bound the body of the late mother of Frisk, wincing at the slight magical shock that came from it. "I am not sure. It is possible that the disappearances of the other children had nothing to do with fate in the long run. It could possibly be the fault of the Twins."

Senitha grumbled, leaning against the wall next to the exit, eyes trained on the poor woman. The Soul had long since been taken or faded away, leaving them with a rather cold trail. However, with Claira and Viktor on the way, they could easily track it down, wherever it went. The officer nearly drew her gun when the door next to her slammed open, only to reveal the KIND mage and the normal human in question.

"Woah, Sen. Didn't think you'd be so jumpy to see me!" Viktor stated, flashing a massive, shit eating grin. The golden eye of the mage flashed, sending Viktor backwards several feet, nearly tripping over a seemingly random box. "Jeez lady, I was just kidding!"

"Now isn't the time for jokes, Vik. We're dealing with the Twins. They are in this city. I need you to contact our friend in the military to get THAT whole thing sorted out. Once you're finished with that, get back up that mountain and start sorting out who's coming down for the first press conference. Try to keep the numbers small. Maybe four people tops."

With a thumb's up, the non-magical human left the room, focused on the task at hand. Before any more could be said, Rowen came barreling into the room, his eyes dim.

"The twins were here alright," he said. "And they're on their way back. Apparently they just got tipped off about you showing up to the house. We need a plan. Now."

* * *

Everyone seemed to be enjoying your movie choice. You had to pick something that was age appropriate for the kids, but entertaining for the rest of the adults. So of course you grabbed your old VHS copies of the original Star Wars trilogy and threw the first one into the player. The moment the first title scroll appeared, all of the monsters had quieted down, entranced by the music.

Sans was practically leaning forward as he read over the words to himself. Papyrus, seated by his brother, squeezed a pillow tight to his sternum. Alphys and Undyne were curled up on the floor in front of the love seat, which was currently occupied by Grillby and Gaster. Frisk was leaning back against Sans' legs, holding hands with Asriel. Asgore was sitting on a chair borrowed from the kitchen table, the furthest away from the screen. He didn't seem to mind, though. You and Toriel were leaning against each other, smiling happily at the little group of friends and family.

A small gasp escaped the group as the first ships made their way across the screen, the flash of lasers painting the screen. You could practically feel Sans' bones hum with glee. Science fiction really was his preferred media, it seems.

The entire movie seemed to be going great. The heroes narrowly dodging capture on multiple occasions. The pure shock and terror on everyone's face when Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star. The highs and lows of the movie had everyone in awe. The only real outburst came from Undyne when climatic battle came to an end, the explosion sending the fish monster into a round of whooping cheers.

You shook your head, rising to your feet as the credits roll. "Congratulations everyone, you survived the first film of the series!"

"NYEH! That movie was really good! But also rather sad! Why did Old Human Kenobi have to die?!" Poor, sweet Papyrus...

"Well, Papyrus," you begin, ejecting the tap and setting it aside to rewind later. "Obi-wan was sacrificing himself for the betterment of the group. There was no chance for him to survive the encounter anyway. Plus, knowing how strong his connection to the Force was, he knew he'd be able to continue to help Luke through his own journey. Make sense?"

The taller skeleton nodded, still clutching the small pillow.

"Alright... anything else? Because the next movie is just as good, if not better. Although this one may be a little bit more on the sad side near the end..."

* * *

The Twins didn't know what hit them. One moment they were pulling up into the driveway of the Roode Manor, the next they were pinned down by the power of five spellcasters. Each one burning bright with combined VENGEANCE. Claira, her eyes glowing with an emerald light, slowly kneeled down in front of the two DETERMINED mages.

"Hello again. Remember us? It has been a rather long time, so I'll make this quick. You two are in a world of hurt, and when we're done with you? Well...

Let's just say there won't be any problems for the Monsters of Mount Ebott anymore."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably a bit anti-climatic in the long run, but this isn't going to be a story about mages and whatnot. This is a story about Quinn and Toriel's life together. So yeah.


	28. Breaking News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has finally arrived for Monsters and Humans to meet face to face. The press are gathered, everything is in order. You are ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome welcome gentle readers! It's time for the next chapter! Hope everyone is enjoying themselves so far. Been a little distracted on this end due to the new WoW expansion coming out soon, but I'm still going to be getting chapters out whenever I have inspiration to write.

It was around eight in the evening when you received a text from Viktor, informing you that the first Monster/Human Press Conference was to be held the next day. With a soft groan, you informed the rest of the household of the news.

"Awesome!" Undyne shouts, jumping up from the love seat, almost sending Alphys tumbling to the ground from her enthusiasm. "Does that mean I get to go in my super awesome armor?! DOES THIS MEAN I GET TO BRING MY AWESOME HUMAN SWORD!?!"

You paled a little at the prospect of Undyne carrying her replica Buster Sword to the conference. "Um, sorry Undyne, probably can't bring the sword. I think bringing your armor might be a good idea, especially if we're presenting you as the Captain of the Royal Guard and stuff. Seeing as you can use magical spears in case of an emergency, I think that'll be enough protection."

The fish monster, sensing the seriousness of the situation, nods her head without any signs of sorrow. "Good call, Punk. I can run down and get my gear and be back in a few hours. Don't wait up for me sweetie," she says, the last part directed at the blushing lizard monster. The two share a quick kiss before Undyne hurtles over the sofa on her way out the door. You roll your eyes and turn to the rest of the group.

"Viktor told me that we should keep the group small and diverse. I'm thinking Tori and Sans for sure, as well as Frisk. Grillby might also be good to bring to show off the whole 'elemental' thing, if that's alright with you, Gaster."

The couple shared a quick glance at each other before nodding in agreement, the scarred skeleton flashing a warm smile. "That will be alright. Just be wary of water around him. I wouldn't want him to be extinguished."

Asriel gently tugs at the leg of your jeans, causing you to turn your attention to the goat child. "How come dad isn't going?"

"Well, I think it'd be best if Toriel went. Even though Asgore is King, those titles won't exactly mean anything on the surface. Plus, having your mom and dad in a car together like that wouldn't be smart I think. Plus, that just means you get to spend some quality alone time with your dad. Sounds more fun than a boring conference in front of a bunch of humans, right?"

The child nodded, suddenly wrapping his arms around you from his kneeling position. You blink a few times, resting your head on the child's head. The fur was soft, just like his mothers. You could even feel the tiniest of bumps on the top of his skull, the beginnings of his own budding horns.

"Thank you Quinn. For making sure mom and dad don't fight. I know they won't ever... be together, but maybe one day they can be friends again." 

"Any time Asriel. With me being Soulmates with your mom, I'm pretty much gonna be your stepdad from now on. But I'm not going to force you to like me or to call me Dad too, okay? Same goes for Frisk. If Frisk wants to stay with Tori and I, anyway."

You look up, flashing a wide grin at the shocked expression on the human child's DETERMINED face. "What? You really want to... adopt me?"

You roll your eyes a little. "Frisk, did you honestly think you'd be going back to that old house after what your parents had done? Nah, you're staying with us. With ALL of us. This is your family. Well, including Undyne of course. Hell, even Viktor and the mages will be family for you. Sound good?"

Frisk nods, crawling over and joining the goat child in embracing your legs. You could hear the soft mutterings of 'thank you' against the fabric. You look up at the rest of the group, your cheeks growing slightly red from suddenly being thrust into the spotlight. When your eyes met with your Soulmate, however, you were instantly calm. You were safe. You were here. Toriel was going to be with you every step of the way.

JOY practically oozed out of your Soul, brushing against each and every one of your friend's Souls without even realizing it.

The moment was ruined, however, when Sans suddenly opened his eyes with a startled gasp, waking himself from whatever dream, or nightmare, he was having.

"Wha' I miss?" he mumbles, looking around the room. You cover your face with your hand, groaning and shaking your head.

"Really Sans? We just had this big happy moment with Asriel and Frisk and you just slept through it all?" Segoe chimes in, her expression... quite stern.

Sans' eyelights disappeared from his sockets, nervous blue-tinted sweat forming on his skull. "Sorry, grandma."

Three seconds of dead silence, followed by a wave of laughter as Sans pulled his hood over his skull and tugged on the strings, hiding his face from the world. When you glanced over at the skeleton woman, you saw that her own face was cloaked in her enchanted hood. You smiles at the sight.

Looks like skeletons tend to share similar traits after all. Including ways to handle embarrassing situations.

* * *

When everyone else had gone off to bed, Sans stayed up to make sure Undyne made it safely back to the cabin. It gave him a chance to think. He hadn't exactly been asleep for the whole conversation. He knew he was going to be part of the 'introduction group' with Tori and Grillby, which was quite honestly a surprise. Why him? Papyrus was enthusiastic and energetic. All he did was tell bad jokes and dunk folks.

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling of the cabin, taking note of each little spot or deformity in the construction above him. It was strange, seeing something different. This cabin had never been in any of the surface related timelines. He wanted to cherish this moment while it lasted. If this was indeed the final reset, the final timeline for them, he wanted to take everything in.

His examination of the ceiling were interrupted by the sliding back door opening and closing rapidly. Without even bothering to lower his head, he called out a soft 'hey' to the returning fish monster.

"Hey, punk. Everyone else asleep?"

"Yeah, everyone else was bone tired, I stayed up to make sure you got here. You get your suit?"

"Yup! Got it all packed away in my phone. So glad our shit still works up here, even though we can't connect to Undernet."

"Alph made sure that the item storage system's magic was linked to the phone itself and not the CORE's networking. Hell, that'd probably be an easy way for Alph to get rich up here on human cash. Item storage like that doesn't exist yet on the surface, and that could make things so much easier for the folks here."

"What a great idea, bonehead! I keep forgetting you're like, super smart with the science stuff." Undyne took a seat next to the skeleton monster, looking up at the ceiling with a narrowed eye. "What are you even looking at?"

"The ceiling."

"Well that's obvious, but why?"

"Because I can."

"That's not a reason, Sans!"

He chuckled to himself, closing his eyes. "I'm just kiddin' with ya, 'Dyne. I just wanted to take in every last detail of this place. We're... here, on the surface. I want to remember everything."

"Yeah, I guess. Worried the press conference is gonna go bad?"

He shakes his head, fiddling with the phone in his pocket. "Nah, it'll go fine. We got you, me, Tori, Grillby... Four of the strongest casters from the Underground. And before you give me shit, you know I keep my own magic private. I can handle myself in a pinch."

She snorts at that. "Yeah, I saw how you handled Asgore back in Waterfall, I believe ya. You gonna keep an eye out for Frisk and Quinn too?"

Sans opened his eyes and practically glared at the fish woman, causing her own eye to grow wide from the sudden movement. "Do you seriously think I'd let  **a n y o n e** hurt my Frisk?" After the outburst, he blinked, turning to face away from the other monster. "The fuck was that? Why would I-"

"Oh I think I know exactly what happened, Sans. You and Frisk like each other a lot, huh?"

"Heh, right on the nose, Undyne. If I had one... but our Bond isn't like that. I'm not in love with the kid... because they're freakin' twelve years old. So why would I react like this. Why would I say 'my' Frisk?"

The fish monster rested her hand on top of the skeleton's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Think about it, bonehead. Soulmate bonds can evolve and change with time. For Frisk, they probably see you as a guardian, a protector. That's reflected on your end of the bond. Maybe when they're older, it'll evolve into something else. Or not. Only thing that matters is that the two of you are gonna stick together and shit, for as long as both of you desire to keep going."

A chill ran down Sans' spine at that last sentence.

"Would Frisk really wanna keep living at a Monster's lifespan? Or would they rather us grow old in a human sense?"

"I dunno, dude. But I'm sure Frisk will talk to ya about it down the road."

The skeleton sighed, leaning his head back on the sofa once more to gaze at the ceiling. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

He dreamed of laying on a bed of flowers next to a much older Frisk, smiles on their faces as they both faded to dust.

* * *

You were scrambling to get ready the next morning, tossing clothes all over the place as you tried to find anything that didn't scream 'casual wear' until you finally found a decent looking collared shirt in a nice shade of navy blue. This was going to have to do. You paired it with a pair of black jeans (because dress slacks were not on the bill when you used your old prosthetic limbs).

Toriel was back to wearing her formal robes, Delta Rune rimmed with golden thread. Undyne was clad in her full suit of armor, minus the scary helmet. Grillby was dressed in his bartender get-up, while Sans was...

Well, Sans was Sans.

Viktor arrived at 9:34, riding in the back seat of a massive hummer limo. "Sorry about the wait, guys. Had to find something that could move everyone comfortably."

"Not a problem, Viktor. Who the heck is driving?"

The driver poked his head out from the window, his doe brown eyes bright with excitement. Viktor chuckled, opening the rear passenger door, letting the monsters (and Frisk) inside before speaking. "That's Jakx. He's like me, part of the group without all the fun powers. He's super excited to meet you guys, but that can happen later. We're starting the conference at one o'clock sharp."

You roll your eyes, slipping into the limo and taking a seat next to the beautiful goat monster, flashing a wide grin up at her. The previous night's entertainment was breathtaking, to say the least. At least the bite marks were easily hidden under his shirt.

With everyone seated comfortably inside, they pulled away from the cabin, making their way towards the nearby city.

* * *

You were seated, along with your monster companions, at a large table with a soft purple cloth covering the surface. The backdrop was also a nice shade of purple, something to match Toriel's dress. It seems the mages had remembered the color used by the royal family before the war and had made sure to have that same color for everything.

You were seated in the very center of the table, with Toriel on your right and Frisk on your left. Undyne sat on Frisk's other side, while Sans sat next to Toriel. Grillby was seated by Undyne, closest to the exit. As a fire elemental, he would be the first one in any immediate danger if the water sprinklers happened to come on. It was rather fortunate that Grillby's flames didn't emit any smoke.

The doors to the conference hall opened up, letting a wave of reporters, bloggers, and news crews pour into the room. All the chatter that could be heard from the other side of the door died out almost instantly. They were not expecting something like this, that's for sure. With a small chuckle, you rose to your feet, moving over to a nearby podium, clutching the sides as you scanned over the room. When everyone was in their seats, and the lights on the tops of all of the cameras were rolling, you started to speak.

"Good afternoon everyone. I'm not really one for public speaking so I'll keep this bit rather quick. My name is Quinn, and many years ago I represented this great country in the Olympic games. But today is not about me. Today, it is about these people seated before you." You lift up your hand, waving it over to the seated monsters, who all shown bright smiles (Even Sans, which made you rather thankful).

"I am sure many of you are rather confused, and would like to ask some questions. But first, I must say that this is indeed real. Monsters are indeed real. However, our thoughts and theories about monsters are completely false. These creatures do not hunt down and devour children. They do not creep underneath your bed. They do not pop out of closets to give you a fright. No. Monsters are honestly just like you and me. They have lives, hopes, dreams, families."

Your hand moves, pointing towards Sans first. "Sans has a younger brother, who he cared for when his father had a terrible accident that put him out of commission for decades. He also has a lovely grandmother who has more sass than any one woman should possess. He's also a very punny guy, once you get to know him." The crowd chuckle softly at this, right before Sans leaned towards his own little microphone on the table to speak.

"Yeah, he's not telling a fibula. I've gotten a skeleton of skelepuns, as well as some rather humerus knock knock jokes."

Most of the press laughed at this, and even the few that groaned at the puns were smiling. A rather good sign indeed.

"Nice work. The woman sitting next to him is Toriel. She was actually around when monsterkind first lived on the surface over a thousand years ago. She served as Queen in the Underground for a good while before deciding to become a simple caretaker in the Ruins of the old kingdom's capital. She was the one who cared for Frisk, the child seated beside her, and myself when we first arrived in the Underground of Mount Ebott. She is the kindest woman I have met in my entire life, and our bond is... special."

You smile faintly at this, listening to the murmurs for a moment before refocusing your energy into the rest of the introductions. "Seated next to Frisk is Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard. Her duties included protecting the residents of the Underground from human attack, patrolling various areas. When we first met, we had a bit of a fight. She ended up impaling my false leg with a magical spear, which shocked her enough to let me lock in a nice, simple choke hold."

The fish monster barked a laugh. "That's right, punk! You grabbed on for dear life while I was distracted! Fuhuhu, you were really brave, for a total WEENIE!"

The crowd roared with laughter once more, making your own smile grow.

"Thanks, Undyne. She's a really tough fighter, but got a little carried away with the whole 'rules of combat' we had established beforehand. Anyway, last but certainly not least is the fire elemental, Grillby. As you can see, he just happens to be a man of fire, as well as a man of class. He owns a bar in the Underground that serves some of the best hamburgers I have ever tasted. From what I can gather, he also is an excellent bartender-"

"Don't you mean bartinder?" Sans cuts in, causing another round of laughs and groans.

"Of course Sans. Of course. Where was I... right. As you can see, Monsters aren't really that different. They all have jobs, family, friends. They're just people, like you and me. This whole press conference thing is just us, trying to introduce everyone to these amazing people before everyone becomes overwhelmed. Most monsters are still in the mountain, waiting for the word that they're allowed to rejoin the outside world. Once we're done here, we'll be starting the process of helping everyone get equal rights and moved to areas where they can live and thrive comfortably. Some monsters can't really survive outside of certain biomes. Grillby, for example, probably wouldn't want to live in a place that rained all the time."

You push away from the podium, tired of standing. You move back to your seat, pulling your chair up as you leaned towards your little microphone. "But enough about me rambling, do any of you have questions for the monsters of Mount Ebott?"

The roar of the crowd made your ears ring. Voices and hands raising wildly in front of you as the floodgates were opened to the masses.

You were not ready for this.

Thankfully, with the help of Viktor and other Jakx, along with some other volunteers, order was restored. Questions were fielded smoothly by each reporter, asking generic questions about monsters. What they ate, what they were made of, what they could do. Undyne summoning and flipping a spear around in her hand was rather amusing, especially when she was asked to pose with it.

Then someone asked a question at Frisk.

"It has come to our attention that this... uh, Frisk, child is actually a young girl named Aurora Roode. Her father was recently charged with murder and several other crimes. What do you say to that, Mr. Quinn?"

Before you can say anything, Frisk spoke up first.

"My name is Frisk. Toriel is my mother, and Quinn is my father. Aurora Roode died in that house after what my father and his friends did to me."

You slowly turned to the child, eyes wide. "What? Frisk, what are you talking about."

The child slowly turned to face you, eyes bright with DETERMINATION. "I didn't tell you everything, Quinn. I... I think it's time I told the rest of my story." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Frisk... sweet sweet Frisk. I just wanna hug you forever.


	29. Bent Not Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk finally explains how they made a several hour trip from the city to the mountain without any sort of food or water.
> 
> TW: Implied sexual assault/rape of a child in this chapter. No graphic details, but putting the warning here AND in the chapter notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, warning that there is IMPLIED sexual assault/rape of a child in this chapter. I'm not going into details about it, because fucking hell that's gross, but for the story it will be mentioned. Sorry in advanced. Frisk's story is dark, but with the Twins involved, anything to help keep them away from the monsters is beneficial.

Frisk was visibly shaking when the turned back to the press. Their hands were clutched in front of them on the tablecloth, their bangs partially covering their face. You stood from your chair, kneeling down beside the poor child, gently brushing a hand down their shoulder.

"Listen, Frisk, you don't need to do this right now. You don't have to go through this. Not right here in front of everyone. We can have another sit down with Toriel over some pie and-"

"No. I can do this. The world needs to know what they did to me."

With your hand on their shoulder, Frisk gazed once more at the room, their voice full of DETERMINATION.

"When I was nine years old, I was approached by a man named Mr. Braxton, who told me that I didn't need to continue down a path of pain and suffering. I didn't need to continue to be my father's doll." The look of shock on your face was rather noticeable, but the child continued. "My mother supported my father's strange behavior but never... did the things he did. She wasn't innocent by any means, but my father and his friends were the real abusers."

"So," the reporter from early raises her hand as she speaks, grabbing your attention. "You are saying that he forced you to act and dress a certain way? Had you tried contacting anyone?"

Frisk's voice turned... cold when they spoke next. "Of course I did. I told anyone I could for years. Not a Soul believed me. They thought I was just trying to gather attention. I was just some 'stupid girl' who wanted to play a game. And when I didn't want to play with my father and his friends anymore? They put bars on my windows and locks on my doors. Kept me starved and naked until I would beg for food. Soon, begging wasn't enough. Soon they'd demand me do things. Pose for them, let them touch me..."

All color drained from your face, quickly looking over to the monsters sitting at the table. All eyes were on the child, all of them practically radiating magic.

"Then I was taken downstairs... into the basement."

* * *

Mr. Braxton dropped his mug of coffee into the sink when he turned on the news. The news was tuned in on some sort of press conference, with Au-Frisk, he mentally corrects himself, seated in between an adult man and several creatures. Monsters, the ticker on the bottom declared.

"Then I was taken downstairs... into the basement."

The man slowly slumped onto the ground, his eyes wide.

He should not have listened to those threats all those years ago. He should have saved them the moment he met them three years prior.

Without a second thought, the man snatched up his scarf and hat, slipping them on before fetching his keys. He was going back to the city.

* * *

Sans was furious. Frisk, his Soulmate, had been tortured, beaten, raped... by their own father no less. The way they talked about it. So cold, so clinical, it made his own Soul freeze in agony. His eye was blazing with his fury, but no one (outside of a couple of photographers who were documenting the moment) seemed to notice.

The kid was going into details about things the old man would do to them. Things no adult should ever do to a child. No wonder the kid didn't want to identify as a girl.

Then things started to take a rather strange turn.

"One day... my father left me, chained to a wall. I couldn't move. I could barely breath. Two people came out of the shadows and started chatting to each other. I didn't recognize any of the words they were saying. But they were pointing at me... and they had these wide grins.

I felt something tugging at my chest."

* * *

You could feel your own Soul quiver in your chest as Frisk sat back enough to draw their own Soul out. The small red heart, beating in rhythm with their own nerves, was clear as day. Wait...

How did Frisk just draw out their own Soul?

"Those two people. They did something to me. They pulled out my own Soul... and they just started doing things to it. They made me feel hot and cold, heavy and light. They filled it with magic, wondering just what I'd do with such a gift. It took me three days to recover from the strange experience. When my father brought me up to my room for a single two hour nap, I was able to snatch up my hidden box of clothes to get dressed. Without knowing what I was doing, I.. I pushed through the bars and the window. I just sort of... Willed myself through. I was DETERMINED to leave. So I left."

They take a deep breath, her eyes locked onto your own. "I willed myself towards Mount Ebott. I willed myself to not feel pain. I was DETERMINED. When you started following me, I felt so drained. I had used up everything I had been given. When you tripped, I took the plunge. I should have died, but I didn't. I wasn't ready to die. Too DETERMINED to die. So I woke up."

You sigh, pulling Frisk into a tight embrace. Tears landing on strands of brown hair as the press murmured quietly. Toriel slipped down next to you, wrapping both of you in her arms as well. Soon the entire group of monsters had joined in, including Grillby, causing the entire crowd to cheer a bit from the display.

Things were looking up.

Once everyone had returned to their seats, you squeezed Frisk's hand, turning your attention to the reporters. "Alright then. How about we not ask any more questions about Frisk's home life, yeah? We are here to talk about monsters, not about a child's pain."

* * *

The press conference had lasted for nearly four hours, with each monster fielding a boatload of questions. Once everyone was finished, you all stood up, ready to make your way back to the cabin. You helped everyone out of the room, but was stopped by Viktor, as well as the reporter who asked Frisk the question that prompted the child spilling their Soul out to the world.

"Look," she starts, clutching her notepad tight to her chest. "I am so very sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen, I had no idea it was going to be such a delicate subject. My boss was in my ear, demanding I ask about it."

You wave her off, flashing a small smile. "It's not big deal. None of us knew. I mean, I sure as hell didn't know about how bad the abuse was. I've been working hard just to keep everything straight in my own head the last week."

"W-well I'm glad that everything is working out wonderfully with you and your new friends. May I ask... about... what Frisk had mentioned before? Off the record. You know, about you and the furry woman?"

"Oh, you mean Toriel? Sure... well we're Soulmates. Basically, our Souls called out to each other, and now we're... together. Not in a traditional human sense, but something deeper. One of those 'one in a billion' cases from what I understand. Probably even rarer, with me being human and all."

"How does that even work? Are you two like... in love?"

"Madly." You reply simply, flashing a wide grin. The woman couldn't help but blush at that, lowering her face. "So, when monsters start coming up from the mountain, there'll be more of them. And we'll all get to meet them too. Maybe..."

You chuckle, patting the reporter on the shoulder. "Yeah, someday you'll get to meet someone. As I said, one in a billion that it'll be as deep a bond as I have, but I'm sure they do the casual dating thing, just like we do."

She nods, flashing a wide smile before hurrying off to the other exit. You turn your eyes to Viktor, who's expression was... grim.

"Texted the mages about Frisk's side of the story. The Twins are getting some well deserved scars for their crimes, that's for damn sure."

"Jesus, they captured them that fast? How?"

"Easy. Five is greater than two. 's far as you and the monsters are concerned, it's over. I've already gotten all the lawyer and judge friends we've amassed over the years to start signing in rights bills for them. I do have a suggestion though-get out of Canada. Go travel or something. Let Tori and the rest of the gang meet some new people, explore new places."

You chuckle softly at that. "Was thinkin' the same thing actually. Probably wanna move the family to California. Perfect place for everyone."

"Good call. I'll help house hunt in a few weeks, once everything's blown over."

"Holding it to ya, buddy."

* * *

Frisk kept everything inside the entire drive back to the cabin. The moment they were out of the limo and inside, however, the couldn't hold back. They collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. They rubbed at their arms and stomach, trying to push away phantom limbs that crawled along their skin. They collapsed onto their side, tears flowing freely, even as a bony hand rested on their shoulder.

"Frisk, sweetie, what's wrong?" asked the lady skeleton, eye wide with worry.

"Uh, probably don't touch 'em right now, Grandma Segoe," Sans said, hands buried deep in his pockets. "Frisk just had to confess to everyone in the room, and whoever was watching, that their dad touched them. That the fucking Twins touched them."

The cloaked skeleton drew her hand away, magic blazing in the empty hole where her eye should have been. "Where are they? I will destroy those cowards!"

"Whoa Se, calm down. The other five have 'em on lockdown for the time being. They got it under control. Come on, let's give Frisk some space and make them something to eat. Kid's probably starvin' after talking for so long."

The skeletons departed, leaving Frisk alone in the dark room to wallow in their shame.

* * *

Mr. Braxton pulled up next to the massive hummer limo, gawking at it for a moment before he slipped out of the car. Straightening his hat and scarf, he moved to the front entrance, giving it a polite knock.

The door flew open, revealing a rather tall skeleton wearing an equally fancy scarf, a deep red rather than his own soft sea green.

"GREETINGS! I, the Great Papyrus, do not think I know you!"

"Oh, well. Uh. My name is Mr. Braxton. I was... well, I saw that Frisk was on the news, and they spoke of me. I wanted to see how they were holding up. It's been a few years and-"

"Oh, of course Human," Papyrus interrupts in a much softer tone, moving aside so the human can step inside, drawing the scarf and hat off, keeping them in his hands for the time being. "Frisk is currently in their room right now. From what I understand, they were having a very hard time after the press conference. They won't leave the room or accept any of my magnificent spaghetti."

Braxton's eyes shined bright, a small smile escaping his lips. "You like pasta, huh? That's amazing. Maybe, once everything has calmed down, we could make some together."

"That would be wonderful human! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Something deep in the human's chest seemed to throb with joy at the sight of the skeleton. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Papyrus, however, could feel his own Soul quivering with excitement. A new friend! Someone who liked pasta just as much as he did! They were going to be such great friends!

Both BRAVE souls, both human and monster, beat in sync.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a hug? I think I'm ready for a hug.


	30. Shining Shimmering Splendor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks have passed, and it's time for you and your family/friends to make your journey to California. What waits for you on the other side of the country?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter, folks. Got caught up in a whirlwind of different things. Mainly, prep for the new World of Warcraft expansion. Also, writing a new story called Moonlit Connection. It's a Gaster!Sans fic that will probably feature a lot more smut than this one will. Oh well. Enjoy the chapter!

Shortly after the first press conference, several more had been booked. With each new one, you decided to bring different monsters along for the ride. The only constant had been yourself and Toriel, who you didn't want to leave you side all that much. According to the other monsters of your group, the two of you were almost as insufferable as Tori and Gorey were back in the day.

Almost. At least you didn't have a nickname like Fluffybuns yet.

Papyrus and Mr. Braxton had also started to grow rather close. Everyone could see the bond that almost instantly blossomed between the two, and was rather nice to see. Oddly enough, they weren't as... touchy feely as the other Soulmate bonds, which in all honest was rather nice to see. Papyrus didn't strike you as someone who'd be too eager to have sex with anyone, and Mr. Braxton seemed to be perfectly content with that choice.

Asgore returned to the Underground after a week of press conferences to announce that ALL monsters were free to leave, and would only have to complete some documentation to get proper census numbers. Things were still tense between the former King and Queen, but it seemed like everything was going smoothly.

It didn't matter too much, though. Most of you were leaving Canada tomorrow anyway.

After a rather simple set of court dates, custody of Frisk was transferred to you and Toriel. Another couple dates in government buildings netted Frisk dual citizenship between Canada and the United States. With everything in place, the decision had been made to move to California. Everyone seemed on board, except for Asgore, who was staying behind on Ebott. Even Mr. Braxton was coming with you to the states to be with Papyrus.

"You sure you wanna come with us?" you asked, shoving a few more pairs of underwear into your suitcase.

The immaculately dressed man chuckled, leaning back against the wall, tapping his foot as he watched. "Of course I'd like to come with you. I abandoned Frisk to the wolves. I am not making that mistake again. Besides... a certain tall, ivory, and bony man has my attention."

You nearly choked on air at that. "Seriously? That's how you're going to describe Papyrus?"

"Of course, Quinn! He's the sweetest of sugar skulls. With a little bit of my talents he'll also be a master pasta chef within a matter of weeks. We're comfortable with each other's boundaries. And he's handsome as all hells. He's just... Perfect."

You hum softly at this, nodding in agreement. "He is a pretty cool dude, huh?"

Braxton chuckles once more, closing his eyes and lowering his head. "Yeah. He is."

* * *

Everyone was packed and ready to go. Everyone was piled into the massive hummer limo once more. Viktor chuckled as he gazed out the window, watching the cabin fade from view.

"You know," he starts, turning to the rest of the group. "In a few hours, y'all will be flyin' high above the ground, sharing space with the clouds. Was pretty shocked you guys didn't try booking a night time flight so you could get a good look at the stars."

You shook your head at this, leaning your head against your Soulmate's side, letting her warm paw caress your shoulder. "Nah, I don't think I'd want a red-eye flight to our new home."

"That's another thing. Why did you pick such a small place to settle down in? Why not San Fran or Los Angeles or somethin' like that?"

You rolled your eyes at this, snuggling in closer to the soft furry form next to you. "'cause I don't want to live in a big city. Plus we were able to basically buy out an entire street worth of houses for everyone on the cheep due to the laws being passed and stuff. Everyone has a place to call their own, and it's in a nice neighborhood."

Viktor snorts at this, leaning back in his own seat. "You just want a place that's private so you and Tori can have awesome bedroom moments."

You threw a nasty glare towards your friend. "Don't make me kick your ass again. I might just hunt you down at whatever promotion you're working for and dethrone you in front of an entire paying audience."

He threw a massive grin up, eyes bright. "Oh don't worry, you'll get a chance to do that. Heck, you may even get to do it in your home state. It'll be a few months, but... I think you'll like it."

You sigh, nosing further into your lover's side, not wanting to think about wrestling or work right now. You just want to get this flight over with...

* * *

Everyone seemed to enjoy the airport. We were over an hour early to our flight, just in case security gave the monsters grief. Once you were all seated at the gate, you closed your eyes to try and calm yourself. You hated flying with a passion, but with your friends it should be okay.

Sans casually looked out the windows, gazing at the planes taking off and landing, the engineer in him slowly vibrating with excitement. Frisk tapped the skeleton on the shoulder, flashing a wide grin.

"Ready to be inside one of them? Are you gonna freak out?"

"Nah, kiddo. I'll be alright. Just kinda excited about all this. We've really done it this time. You really did it this time. Everyone is here, everyone is safe..."

"Yeah. It's a good thing too. After... all the stuff that's happened with Asriel, Chara and Gaster... I don't think I could go back."

Sans raised a brow at this, turning to face the DETERMINED child. "Wha' ya mean Frisky?"

"I don't have the power to RESET anymore. When I went with Asgore to announce to everyone what was happening, I went to see if I could save. You know, have something to go back to just in case something super bad happened. But none of my SAVE stars were there. I think whatever the Twins did to me has finally worn off."

The skeleton slowly nodded his head before wrapping his arms around his Soulmate, tears trickling down his face. "Thank you Frisk. Thank you... Thank you for telling me. I was so afraid... I don't wanna go back down there... I can't..."

Frisk wrapped their arms around Sans in a tight embrace, kissing the side of his skull gently. "There there Sans... it's over. We're free.

We're really free this time."

* * *

Grillby and Gaster took a seat in front of the airport bar, casually glancing through the menus. Grillby wanted to learn new drinks, and had stolen your laptop several times to do research. Gaster was also heavily invested in helping, putting science behind him to help his mate. The bartender slowly slid into place in front of the, his grey eyes wide in awe.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" the tender asks, trying his hardest not to sound too afraid or shocked. Grillby slowly lifted his head, flashing a patient smile.

"My partner and I are just looking at the moment. When we arrive at our new home we want to set up our own bar and grill, so we're trying to figure out what kinds of drinks humans serve. We want to be able to serve both demographics fairly."

Gaster chuckled at this, nodding his head as he sets his own menu down. "Yes. When we were last on the surface, booze mainly consisted of wines and simple ales. Our kind had slowly developed our own recipes with time, but now that we're back up here, it's... mind boggling how much has changed."

"You're kidding me? You two were around before the whole mountain barrier thing happened?"

Grillby chuckled, shaking his head. "Not at all. I was tasked with protecting several civilians as we evacuated our homes and retreated to the surface. Gaster and I had started dating only a few years prior to that."

The bartender nodded a few times, opening his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a customer sitting down at the other end of the bar. "Shoot. Guess I gotta get back to work. You two enjoy yourselves, 'lright?"

"We shall, Sir. Be good," Gaster replied, sharing a warm smile on his cracked skeletal face. The bartender didn't even flinch at it. A good sign indeed.

* * *

Everyone poured onto the plane calmly and respectfully, taking their seats. You had made sure to get everyone into First Class, wanting to give everyone ample legroom and to be away from the other humans, just in case there were bad eggs in the crowd. Once everyone was settled in, you took your Soulmate's hand in your own, squeezing tight.

"What's wrong Quinn?" Toriel asked, gazing down at you with a worried expression.

"Just not a fan of flying," you reply, your heart pounding roughly in your chest.

"There there, do not worry. We will be alright. We are safe. We are secure. We are fine." Toriel slowly placed a series of kisses on your forehead, letting you feel the comfort of her inner fire on her lips. You press yourself against her side once more, a rather common occurrence when traveling next to her for some odd reason.

"Thank you. I'm... uh... Gonna try getting some sleep."

"Alright dear. Rest well."

You close your eyes and quickly dose off to the sound of Toriel's Soul beat.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for some peace and quiet? I think Quinn is...


	31. Quality Of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months have passed since you've moved to California. This is what has happened in that time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap Warcraft's new expansion is good. Got really absorbed into leveling and gearing out my new character, but now I have time to write once again! Enjoy the chapter!

Frisk and Asriel climbed out of the back of your (mostly) new SUV, smiling proudly as the siblings waved at you before rushing off towards the front doors of the school. It was the start of a brand new year, and after several hard weeks of study and testing to see where they should be placed (with Frisk formerly being 'home schooled' and Asriel being a monster trapped underground, no one was sure how far along in their studies they were in terms of the American school system), they finally were able to make new friends and share new experiences. You were proud of both of them, your little balls of DETERMINATION.

With a small chuckle, you pull away from the curb, carefully maneuvering your way through the streets towards the grocery store. You wanted to pick up a few things before heading back home. Mainly, a (slightly) cheap bottle of wine for your lunch date with Toriel. The two of you had the house to yourselves, and you were going to enjoy it while you can. You were going to be heading out to Florida in a few days to check out the training facility that Undyne had enrolled at. After watching you and Viktor 'fight' several more times since the cabin, Undyne became hooked on wrestling, packing up her bags and moving out east to try out.

Everyone at the Performance Center loved her to death.

Alphys had also moved out east to start her new life as a science teacher. Rather than going to a university, she applied for a simple science teacher job at one of the local high schools in the same town as the P.C. It made things easier for her, allowed her to clear her mind of the 'nightmares' that haunted her from the old lab. She even approached Sans about introducing the dimensional boxes to the masses, which you knew was going to revolutionize the storage and phone businesses at the same time.

The rest of you had stayed in California, living in that line of houses on the newly christened Ebott Street in the quiet little city you had picked to start your new life. Sans and Papyrus lived in the house on your left, while Gaster and Grillby lived on your right. Segoe and Mr. Braxton had moved into the house directly across from you, an odd choice overall. Segoe had wanted someone to spend time with, and had asked Papyrus' Soulmate to be that roommate of sorts. He had accepted, on the condition that she wouldn't become a hermit. She gladly accepted.

* * *

Sans yawned loudly as he stomped down the steps of his house. Papyrus was across the street with Mr. Braxton, which left Sans all alone to sit around and do absolutely nothing. Well, that and sit around waiting for Frisk to come home from his first day of classes. With Tori and Quinn engaged in some sort of lunch date thing, he couldn't exactly go visit his old pun-buddy. Grillby and Gaster were out of the question as well.

A gentle knock at the door made him jump slightly. He pushed the front door open, rubbing his eye socket, only to stop when he realized who was standing at his doorway.

Claira, the mage, was paying a visit to the neighborhood.

"Oh, 'sup Claira. Didn't think you'd make a trip all the way to Cali just to see me," the skeleton said, trying to act casual.

"What? I can't come along and visit my favorite brother from another magic mother? 'f course I wanted to come see ya, dork!" she says, carefully setting her helmet down next to the pet rock they had kept from the Underground. It was still covered in sprinkles after all this time.

"Fair enough. How's Asgore and the rest of the Underground holdin' up?"

"Eh, the old King's doing okay. From what I've heard, he's started dating that one reporter chick from that first press conference you guys had. Pretty interesting how everyone's hookin' up with Soulmates, seeing as they're _supposed_  to be extremely rare. I mean think about it. Tori and Quinn, you and Frisk, Alphys and Undyne, Pap and Brax, Grillby and Gaster, and now Asgore and this reporter woman. We may be in the middle of something much greater than anticipated."

The skeleton hummed softly, yanking a chair from the kitchen table out so he could straddle it, resting his chin on his arms. "That's a lot of Soul pairings in just a few short months. Back in the day a Soul pairing only popped up once every thirty or forty years. Is it just because we've been trapped for so long, Magic is just tryin' to get everyone happy endings?"

"I wouldn't rule it out to be honest."

"You be tibianest."

"Can it Sans. That one was really bad."

The skeleton smiled, closing his eyes, his thoughts drifting towards Frisk. "Eh, the kid likes it, that's all I care about."

"Right. Speaking of kids, think you can give Quinn a text? I wanna do that Soul thing with him before he heads out to Florida."

"How the hell did you know about the Florida trip?"

"Simple. I talk to Viktor almost every damn day. The guy won't shut up about happy he is that Quinn and Undyne are doing the stupid fake fighting bullshit school together."

Sans couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Fair point. I'll give him a ring, see what's up."

* * *

Senitha's fist slammed into one of the Twin's stomachs, using her own magic to add to the bone-crunching strike. "That's for raping a twelve year old..." She swings again, cracking a rip in three places. "That's for enslaving me and my brethren..." She swings one last time, shattering two more ribs. "And that's for being so god damn CREEPY!"

The JUST mage has been working over the Twins, one at a time, for almost a full month. Everyone wanted to get their own two cents in on the action, but Senitha was the only one allowed near them, being able to resist any sort of magical counter-attack. It had taken both twins nearly ten years to work whatever dark magic they had used to enslave the others, and with them in separate rooms, it wasn't exactly possible for them to pull the spell out alone.

The Twin in question coughed weakly, their hooded eyes slowly looking out from sunken, worn out sockets. "Why do you even bother, Senitha? Why not just kill us and end our threat. We are DETERMINED. As long as we both live there is a chance for us to gain control and force a new Reset. You'd be back to square zero, and Frisk would be in DESPAIR once more."

"Fuck you. You and your sibling will be gone shortly. We're just takin' our time. We're waitin' on Asgore to get everyone as far away from Ebott as possible before getting rid of you.

And boy do we have plans for your DETERMINED Souls. Assholes."

* * *

You finally arrived back home after fishing around the store for the wine and other snacks you had set out to gather. You pushed into the house, smiling wide at the sight of your Soulmate carefully setting up the table for two, setting up the silverware just right on pretty silver napkins.

"I'm home, my love. Got the wine and snacks for the kids for when they get home."

The goat monster quickly spun around, eyes flashing bright, as well as her teeth. "Welcome home my lovely little pet. Please, set that stuff down and come here. I would very much like to give my sweet little boy a precious kiss." She opens her arms wide, causing you to blush. Once the groceries were set down on the kitchen counter, you hurried into your lover's tight embrace, tilting your head back so that the taller woman could crane her neck down, brushing her lips across your own."

"It's been so long since we had time to ourselves. Are you ready, Pet?"

You blush brightly, fingers tracing small patterns in the woman monster's fur. "Whenever you are, Mistress."

Before you could even begin, however, there was a knock at your door. You groan loudly, a soft whimper escaping your lover's throat.

"Please don't tell me it's Papyrus coming to ask if we're doing stuff today... I told him we were gonna be busy..." you practically whine to yourself, carefully pulling the front door open. Your eyes grew wide at the sight of Claira, all smiles, leaning against the door frame.

"Well hi there,  _pet._ Didn't mean to bug ya, but I needed to know how long you two were gonna be. Now that Senitha has the Twins in complete control, I finally have enough time to come do that whole Soul reading nonsense to figure out what the hell is up with you having every known trait for humans."

"Oh. Well, could we possibly do it tomorrow morning? I kinda had plans with my Soulmate today. And how were you able to hear that? We practically whisper those sorts of things to each other!"

The mage rolled her eyes, pushing away from the door so she could give a small wave around you towards the former Queen. "Oh it's really easy. I can tell you two  have a rather... interesting relationship based on what I've gotten to see just from takin' quick peaks at your Soul while it's still on the inside. If you wanna know someone who's better at than me? Go ask Sans. He's a genius when it comes to Soul reading. Had to be to work as the Underground Judge."

You were a blushing mess by the time the mage stopped talking, rubbing your hands together as you glance behind you, taking note of Toriel's wide smile. You gave her a thumb's up before turning back to Claira.

"Alright, tomorrow morning at 8:30?"

"I'll be there Quinn. We'll get to the bottom of this. I'm sure everything's fine."

* * *

Gaster and Grillby shared a loving kiss as they prepared their meal, eyes focused on each other rather than the sizzling food. Grillby never burned food, even with Gaster working as a constant distraction towards his Soulmate. He was always more playful and adventurous ouside of the Bedroom. But when the door closes and the lights go out, Gaster couldn't hold back from melt under Grillby's kind gaze and strong commands.

The couple casually flipped on the TV, perking up when the newscaster's current story happened to be about the mountain itself. They listened on for ages, their eyes slowly growing wider and wider.

King Asgore was kissing a human woman, dressed for business rather than pleasure. It didn't seem to matter, seeing as the two of them were working together to show that human/monster pairings weren't that big of a deal.

"Good on Fluffybuns to do something right with his life." Grillby chimed in, causing Gaster to jump a little.

"Yeah, it's great to see all of the laws passing so flawlessly. Can't wait to try out a human wedding!"

Grillby rolled his eyes, drawing the skeleton monster back towards his lips, fingers dragging along the cracked skull in front of him. 

"Come dear. Let's eat our lunch so we can return to what we started this morning."

Gaster blushed hard at this, nodding his head as he returned to preparing a perfect batch of fries for the two of them. Grillby may be the master of the burger and fries, but Gaster was slowly matching his Soulmate's intricacy in preparing the greasy meal, ready for  monster _and_ human  opinions. With the two of them working together, being on the same wavelength made Gaster's Soul hum with glee.

And all it took was a single DETERMINED child and a calm, collected JOYOUS adult, to allow the former Royal Scientist to finally live a life he felt was perfect. Away from the Lab, buried under a big, powerful flame man's chest and arms as they grew closer and closer to the opening of the new bar on the surface.

Everything was grand.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to find out more about those strange dreams in the next chapter!


	32. Masks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DETERMINATION, BRAVERY, JUSTICE, KINDNESS, PATIENCE, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE, COMPASSION, JOY, DESPAIR
> 
> These are the traits dedicated to one's Soul. Their colors shining bright or glowing dim.
> 
> It is everything you are, everything you were, and everything you will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to delay this chapter until today, September 15th, to celebrate the release of UNDERTALE. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and enjoys the chapter! Stick around for the end notes for some more stuff.

Asriel and Frisk's first day of school had been a blast. The start of each class was simple; meeting their classmates for the first time, and learning the proper layout of the class halls so neither child would get lost between classes. One of the conditions that Toriel had requested was for both children to be in the same classes for every period of the day, at least for this first year. It took quite a bit of coaxing from you to get the siblings on the same page (Asriel wanted to try a Home Ec class, while Frisk wanted either Art 1 or Computers And Tech), but they finally settled on a plan for the whole year.

The first class of the day, English, was probably the most nerve-wracking for Asriel. The goat monster didn't know how the human children would react to him. Would they be upset that a monster was in their class? Would they throw things at him? Mental images of the rocks and arrows that flew at his back as he carried Chara in his arms made him quiver in fear. Frisk noticed this almost instantly and rested a hand on their brother's shoulder.

"Calm down, Az. You can do this. No one will do anything to hurt you, not with me here to help out."

With a small boost of DETERMINATION filling his Soul thanks to Frisk's kind smile, the goat child nodded, flashing his teeth in his own grin. "Yeah! I can do this. WE can do this! It's gonna be awesome! Come on, let's go meet our new classmates!"

* * *

You and Toriel were lounging on the couch watching TV after your lunch date and your 'bedroom fun' was all finished. School would be out any minute, but Sans had already volunteered to pick up the kids instead. Both of you had been shocked to find out that Frisk and Sans had been Soulmates, especially with the age gap. You calmed down about a day later, but you were still uneasy about certain things.

"Tori," you start, idly brushing your fingers through the soft white fur of your Soulmate's belly. "How come neither of us noticed Frisk and Sans were Soulmates in the Underground? I thought it was supposed to be super obvious like with us or any of the other pairings."

The motherly goat monster dragged her own nails along your scalp, forcing you to close your eyes and relax into her grip. Even without any hair of your own, Toriel's nails still felt heavenly on your head.

"To be quite honest, I am not sure. It takes years of time spent together to get your Bond controlled in such a way that you could potentially mask something like that. It's... rather interesting."

"Sans and Frisk couldn't have known each other for  _that_ long though. Although... Maybe it has to do with that whole 'multiple timelines' thing Claira had told us about. Maybe the two of them had built that tolerance of each other across all of those times."

"Perhaps. I just hope that Frisk and Sans practice safe sex when they are of legal age."

You couldn't help but look up at your Soulmate with a horrified expression. "Tori! This is our adopted kid and our best friend we're talking about!"

"And? They are cute together. And when Frisk is older, I believe they would make an even greater pairing. Sans may have the appearance of a lazybones, but he never cuts corners with Frisk. Think about it. Do you honestly believe that Sans would hurt Frisk now?"

With a sigh you shake your head. "Of course not, love. I just... I mean, Sans is a skeleton, right? How would that even..."

The goat monster couldn't hold back a string of snorts as she burst into laughter. "Oh my goodness, Quinn, now look who's a dirty shipper!"

You raised your hands in surrender, eyes wide. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the one sitting behind a computer screen with a keyboard and mouse, typing away at one in the morning in the middle of September!"

* * *

~~_**Off in the distance, an author turns to a nearby camera. She blushes deeply and gives a small wave before returning to the regularly scheduled story.** _ ~~ _****_ ****

* * *

 

Once the children and Toriel had gone to sleep, you sigh a little to yourself, fetching a notebook from underneath the pile of remotes for the TV and all the various video watching devices. You flip it to the one page you had been using to write down your personal notes, your personal tabs of all the odd dreams you have had since your time in the Underground.

Over the course of the last several weeks, you have had six recurring dreams that were unrelated to Toriel. Undyne with a guitar, Asgore with a swaddled child, Alphys with some sort of vial containing a clear liquid, Papyrus with a wheelchair, Mettaton with a microphone, and a more goopy version of Dr. Gaster, his shattered Soul hovering over his cupped hands.

In each dream, you were a different person. Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman. In the case of Gaster, you weren't even human (at least, you didn't think you were. It had been too dark to see your own body in that Void). There never seemed to be a rhyme or reason for any of them, other then the fact that, in your dream, they felt like your Soulmate.

You always made sure to clutch tighter to Toriel after waking up from those dreams.

Even weirder still were the dreams that involved the goat monster herself. In them, you were working as a referee for ACPWA. Toriel had brought the entire gang with her to the event, front row seats in the almost empty outdoor stage that the company had built for the show. The attendance was usually poor, but the workers never seemed to mind. Those who went to the show were always entertained. 

You had invited them into the back lot to meet the performers, all as an excuse to talk to the pretty woman in the purple dress who watched the show in abject horror, but at the same time, mischievous curiosity. It was a rather bold move, but you were BRAVE, damnit! You were going to make a good first impression!...

But that's... not how their first meeting went. Their first meeting was in Mount Ebott's Underground caverns. Trapped for only a few days, a handful of hours, but enough time to meet the most beautiful being you have ever laid eyes on. One you had seen fade to dust before your very eyes, and had seen brought back by some mysterious force.

Your Soul hummed deep in your chest. You weren't BRAVE any more. No.

You were more then that. You were JOYOUS! You were... everything.

With a loud sigh, you ripped out the page and folded it up nice and cleanly before slipping it into your pocket, returning the notebook to its spot on the coffee table in front of the couch. You rearranged the remotes in their proper order before slipping into the bedroom, snuggling into the warm, naked form of your Soulmate, falling asleep the moment her arms wrapped around your figure.

* * *

"Alright, Quinn. Toriel is out of the house with the kids. Time to get a peak at that Soul of yours!" The mage declared, clapping her hands gleefully as she slid onto the couch on your left side. You had already drawn out the notebook paper, handing it over to the mage to look over, but she had ignored it for the time being.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" you ask, rubbing the back of your head nervously. "I mean, think about it. Tori's my Soulmate, shouldn't she be here to, you know, make sure everything goes okay?"

The mage rolled her eyes, not responding to your own complaints as she drew out your Soul with delicate care. "See? Easy! Now let's see here... yes, I see. Mhmm..." The mage's eyes slowly turned the heart-shaped ball of magic with her fingers without touching anything, getting a good look at each of the colored spots that would shine through before fading back into the more 'natural' looking White-Silver of the Soul's base coloration. "Looks like you're in pretty darn good shape. Your DESPAIR levels are dramatically down since I took a peak back in the cabin, meaning nothing traumatic has happened since the Underground..."

"Or the press conferences," you added.

"That too. Now... Let's see what happens if we..." The mage slowly reached forward, a single finger brushing over a spot that had just flashed green. In an instant, you felt a wave of heat flow through your body, causing you to blush. The oddest sensation filled your chest, causing you to reach up and feel it. However, your hand completely whiffed, falling a good couple inches sort of actually touching skin. Almost as if-

"Yes... I see. No wonder you felt so familiar Quinn. Always a different mask, but always drawn to the Monsters." Claira drew her finger away from the spot, causing the flushed feeling to dissipate.

"What do you mean a different 'mask'? What's going on?"

"Let me explain it like this. In this timeline, you are Quinn, a fighter forced away from competition due to a single stray gunshot. Instead of chasing after Frisk on the mountain, you miss the little flash of blue and purple, causing you to never know about the Child of DETERMINATION until after everyone had gone free. You would have lived your life as normal, discovered Monsters alongside the rest of humanity, and formed your opinion of them right then and there. Months later, you would encounter Toriel, a kind, loving goat monster with a desire to teach and bake a million pies a day. You, a BRAVE Soul, would stand by your new lover until the day either of you die... or until a Reset occurs."

Your blood goes cold at the thought of everything you have... your Soulmate, being ripped from you... being sent back to before everyone was free. You open your mouth to voice your opinion, but are cut off as the mage continues her explanation.

"When the world resets, some lucky few retain their memories. Things do not truly change for them. Individuals like myself and the other mages, and certain key people here and there by some hook or crook, stay the same. You, like most of the world, however, changes. Think of it like... randomly generated non-character players in a sandbox game. In one timeline, you're a talented but struggling musician. In another, you're a mid-age woman who had struck out on love on so many occasions that you had almost given up. In yet another, you aren't even human. A monster, trapped in the Void in a similar fashion to a certain papa skeleton."

The mage let out a long, slow sigh, reaching out to take your hand in hers. "When you caught sight of Frisk's sweater as they ran up the mountain, you were given access to a choice that no one had ever had in the history of the timelines. You were given the choice to become more than an NPC. You became a Player character. You became the Anomaly, the missing link to the entire equation. Because of your BRAVE Soul, you took a plunge that no other Soul type would have dared to do. Not only that, but the magic the Barrier gave you couldn't exist in an orange Soul. It was _forced_ to change. The unfortunate side effect? Every single one of the previous timelines where you exist, exist with you. You contain the memories of previous timelines, but only the ones where you became Soulmates with a monster. Because you were different people in each one, you were bound to them. Now, however, due to this being the BRAVE Soul's timeline, you are bound to Toriel."

You leaned back against the sofa, closing your eyes, shoulders shaking. "So... if this had been any other timeline, I could have..."

"Potentially become Soulmates with someone else permanently, yes. However, with your fall comes the end of the multiple timelines of the Underground. Well, unless you decided you wanted to reset everything yourself."

"What?!" you shout. "Why the fuck would I want to reset everything?! I would never-"

"I know I know! Jeez you're worse than Senitha with seven bottles of sake in her system. I'm just letting you know that you're kinda the most powerful being in the world right now, and it's sort of a big deal. Now then, Tori'll be here shortly, so I'm going to wrap this up. This timeline is it. Do what you wanna do, because you have literally all the time in the world now. With your Soulmate's bonding magic in place, you'll live as long as SHE wants you to live. You won't age a day if you don't want to. Do whatever you feel like, it doesn't matter to me. Just... be happy, alright? The dreams will stop in a year or two, once the other 'echos' of your past have calmed down. Notice how the other colors aren't shining as brightly? That's because it's already starting to calm down. Eventually it'll stay completely silver, fluctuating between white and black depending on your mood. The rarest Soul in the universe belongs to you, Quinn. Don't waste it."

The mage rose to her feet, flashing a warm smile. "That's it for me. Make sure to get me and the other mages a gift for Christmas, alright? We'll be visiting in a few months for the holidays." With a wink, she vanished from your living room, causing you to let out a small sigh.

Toriel opened the door not two minutes later, smiling brightly at the sight of you sitting down on the couch. The moment she saw your expression, however, she started to grow worried.

"My love, what's wrong?" she asked, cupping your cheek with her left hand.

You leaned against it as you spoke. "My Soul is alright, Tori. The... the problem is... well..."

With a deep breath, you began to tell your Soulmate everything you had just learned. It took over an hour. When it was all said and done, the goat monster surprised you with a massive hug, her lips finding yours as she gazed into your eyes.

"It's going to be alright, my Quinn. She is right. We have all the time in the world. I love you Quinn, and I always will, no matter what happened in past 'timelines' or past lives."

"I love you too, Toriel.

Thank you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it everyone. We've come to the 'end' of our first main portion of the saga. From here on out, chapters will probably be dedicated to the various pairings and their goings-on. This is where YOU, the reader, comes into play.
> 
> Tell me what you want to see. Who you want to see. There is plenty of time for lots of fun activities.
> 
> However, once I feel like the comment train/message train has slowed down, I will begin working on a final set of "wrap up" chapters to conclude the story. If there's any desire for MORE chapters after the wrap up, I will probably post them in a separate Only The Fearless: One Shots work on the site.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I shall see you soon.


	33. That Thing You Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KINDNESS Timeline Part One
> 
> Your first introduction to Monsters several months after they left the mountain. You book a gig at a recently opened bar run by a fire monster and get introduced to a rather beautiful warrior fish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the first of the Other Souls chapters! Each of the six previous Soulmate timelines has their own stories to tell, and these chapters are dedicated to them! In between each series will be a set of chapters related to the current timeline, so if you're more interested in current Quinn related stuff, then don't panic!
> 
> Our first set? Undyne!

Seven months. Seven months since the world had been flipped onto it's head by the reintroduction of living, breathing Monsters to the world. In those seven months, Monsters had worked out even equality rights to begin opening businesses in the city. One of the first to open up was a small bar on the west end of the city.

They called it Grillby's.

That's where you found yourself one cool October evening. Standing in front of a monster run bar, guitar cases in hand, a wide grin on your face. You were going to prove to your ex-friends that they were wrong about the new neighbors you shared your city with. You just needed to find a way into the establishment...

Setting down the case for your acoustic guitar, you reach up with your left hand to knock on the door. Before your knuckles could connect with the surface of the door, however, it swung open, revealing a rather tall monster. A rather tall blue scaled woman with bright red hair and a wicked looking smile.

"What do you want, punk?" The fish monster asked, her cat-like eye narrowing slightly when she realized it was a human before her.

You raised your hand up, your face instantly heating up in a slight blush. "Sorry to bother you, I'm sure you guys are still setting up in there. I was just wondering if you had any room for some live musical entertainment in there. It's just me, so I'd only need a corner to myself and a stool to sit on when I play certain songs."

The fish monster turned, giving you a good look at her fin-like ears and her... rippling muscles. She was very fit from the looks of it. One look down at your slight gut made you feel ashamed to even be in her presence. Before you could mope any further, however, the monster reached down and scooped up your guitar case.

"Come on in, punk! Grillby think it's a fun idea! HUMAN MUSIC! I hope it's good as your human history! Fuhuhu!"

You couldn't stop yourself from blushing at her laugh. It fit her so well, and it was... it was cute.

Why were you getting butterflies all of the sudden?

* * *

Grillby, as it turns out, could figure out how to get his jukebox to work. According to Undyne, the fish monster who was helping set up for the 'Grand Surface Opening' by moving entire tables in one arm, the jukebox had only been able to play one song at the old establishment. It had sort of become white noise for the several decades it had been turned on. However, something must have jarred it during the move to this new bar, and it wouldn't even turn on anymore.

One look revealed why.

"Uh, Grillby, Undyne. I think I know why it won't work. You don't have anything in it. Whatever record or CD you had in here is probably damaged beyond repair, but there's nothing in the other slots."

The fire monster approached, taking a look over your shoulder. The heat radiating off of his form felt nice against your back.

"Is that so? Well I guess it shall serve as decoration for now. I will have to find a new one in the future."

"Yeah, can't keep hiring this NERD to come in and play music for us every night!" Undyne chimed in, slapping your shoulders with a slightly webbed hand. You don't even wince at the impact.

Not that much anyway.

"I wouldn't want to impose. I just wanted to be here for the first night. You know, to show that not all humans are assholes like my old band..."

"You used to play in a band?! That's AWESOME!" Undyne quickly yanked your entire body around so she could look you in the eye. The butterflies were back in full force as you reached up to brush a strand of hair out of your face.

"Y-yeah, I was in a band for a while. But the moment monsters came out of the mountain, all of them called you... things. I couldn't stand it, so I left."

"Well good for you, punk," she says in a much softer tone. She flashes a wide smile, revealing more wicked, if not crooked, teeth.

"Undyne, human, the bar will be opening in thirty minutes. I need to put the ribbon in place. Are you going to stand outside or shall you stay in here?"

Your focus snaps over to the fire monster, who currently holds a somewhat sparkly red ribbon and a slightly over-sized pair of scissors.

"Uh, yeah, I'm all set up. Just need to hop onto the stool and start playin'. Coming Undyne?"

The fish monster decides to take that moment to lift you off the ground, carrying you under one arms. You struggle for half a second before simply relaxing, closing your eyes.

You could get used to this.

* * *

The bar was opened and the first set of patrons were already filling the various tables and booths. A squad of dog monsters dominated the middle table, cards spread out neatly in front of each one. An ugly fish and his red bird friend were at the bar, quietly talking to each other about their work days. A skeleton was perched at the bar as well, taking swigs from a ketchup bottle and fiddling with his phone.

You didn't question his love of ketchup. You have some pretty weird habits yourself.

You gently tap the microphone, thankful that the sound system seemed to be working. The hum of the crowd died down, all eyes turning towards you. You give a big smile, idly dragging your fingers across the strings of your prized possession. Well, maybe not prized. It was a simple electric guitar, all black save for a small green heart decal that dominated most of the left side of the instrument's base.

"Good evening! My name is Corey, and I'll be your entertainment for the next few hours. I do take requests, so don't feel shy! Let's start the evening off with something nice and relaxing."

You lean back in the stool for a moment before beginning your first song. It's somewhat different, playing alone. No drums, no bass. Just you.

Your first rift pours out of the amp, a chill running down your spine as you begin your song. It's slow, methodical, and calming to the Soul. Once your little intro is completed, you start to sing.

Your words came out smoothly, almost cheerfully, masking the lyric's almost darker message. You loved this song, but it was clear that the skeleton from earlier was a little unnerved by the mention of red scarves and strawberry-colored snow.

Taking note of that, you switched your focus to a different song, something a little bit sillier. Everyone loved sappy love songs, right?

_"And it hurts me so just to see you go. AROUND with someone new. Every time you do that thing. Every day just doin' that thing. I can't take you doing that thing you do!"_

* * *

You ended up playing through the entire evening. After the first few songs, monsters started to slip suggestions and requests into your case. A couple had even taken the flyers you had printed out for lessons! You had done that on a whim, hoping to spread the joy of music to others sometime in the future.

Now, however, the bar was closed. Grillby, the skeleton who's name you don't know just yet, and Undyne are all seated in the various bar stools, enjoying their chosen drinks. The skeleton had swapped from ketchup to... a Bloody Mary. Obviously. Grillby was enjoying a simple glass of scotch. Undyne, oddly enough, was only drinking water, having declared that alcohol tampers with her fighting spirit.

You were drinking one of Grillby's personal home brews, and to say it was magical would be an understatement.

"Grillby this drink is amazing! I don't normally drink beer, but whatever you do with this..."

The skeleton chuckled softly, leaning back in his seat. "Well it's pretty obvious what he puts in it, kid."

You raise a brow at this, tilting your head to the side. "Oh yeah? What does Grillby put in his home made beer to make it actually good?"

The skeleton slowly leaned forward, his expression serious as could be. Slowly, he lifts his left hand up, ready to strike... only to wiggle the fingers slowly as he slowly speaks the word.

"Magic."

You groan, slamming your forehead into the bar top just a bit too hard. Hard enough to actually bust your forehead open slightly. You wince, clutching at your own head. "Shit shit fuck ow fuck ow," you mutter to yourself, over and over and over.

Undyne was the first person to your side, carefully carrying you towards the bathroom, shooting an angry glare at the skeleton before disappearing around the corner.

With the human and fish out of the room, Sans looked Grillby dead in the eye, his eyelights completely vanished. "Are we just going to sit here and let this happen Grillbz? Undyne just broke up with Alphys not two days ago! This person's human! How is this even possible?"

The flame sighed, downing the last of his drink in a simple quick motion. "We do nothing, Sans. You cannot tamper with true love and Soulmates. Just as I wouldn't try to tamper with your relation to Frisk."

The skeleton froze for a moment before taking a shortcut out of his seat and back to his home. He had to go read his brother's bedtime story after all.

* * *

 Undyne was careful when tending to the small cut on your forehead, washing away the blood and pressing several stacks of tissue against the wound before leaving to grab a proper first aide kit. You only really needed a bandage for the cut, but Undyne was giving you the full treatment.

"Why'd you have to go and hurt yourself, nerd? I know the punny bastard can be annoying at times but not enough to break your OWN skull!"

You chuckle softly, shaking your head a few times. "Nah, it's okay. I guess I just wasn't expecting the bar top to be so hard. I don't mind the guy, even if he gave me a weird look during White Winter Hymnal."

"Probably because it reminds him too much of his brother," she replied in a softer tone, carefully moving the tissue away so she could slap on the bandage.

You wince a little at that, lowering your gaze. "Shit, I didn't mean to offend him or anything..."

"Nah, you're alright punk. He just loves his brother. They only had each other growin' up, so its understandable that anything reminding him of possible violence towards Paps can be a bit touchy."

With a soft hum you nod, moving to stand up from the toilet you were seated on. However, Undyne's grip on your shoulder doesn't allow you to move away. Instead, she stares down at you with her one eye, gazing down directly into your Soul.

"Wait... before you leave... I think I should tell you something. This may seem a little... strange, but just wait a bit, okay?" She's clearly nervous about what she's about to say next. She takes a deep breath, then sighs, leaning forward to press her lips against your own.

You have no idea what is going on. The butterflies in your stomach are going crazy, your mind is telling you to push the woman away. But you don't. A soft thump is filling your chest, but it isn't your heart.

A soft green glow is emanating from your chest, under your black shirt.

When the fish monster pulled away, her cheeks are glowing with a similar green blush, averting her gaze. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I really shouldn't have. I just... I feel... FUCK why is this so HARD to explain! If you were a monster you'd just GET IT but you don't really know anything about Souls and just.. FUCK!" she shouts, her shoulders shaking slightly. You reach up to take her shoulder, rubbing it slowly.

"Undyne, relax... I'm not angry. Not really. Although if there's something I should know about the weird glow in my chest that'd be nice."

This gets her attention in a hurry. "Oh, uh. I guess that sorta confirms it then. Looks like we're in it for the long haul! Fuhuhu!"

"The long haul?" you ask, gently poking at your own chest with two fingers, wondering if the glow would stop.

"Well yeah, punk! We're gonna get to spend a BUNCH of time together now!

We're Soulmates!" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the chapter is based off of a movie by the same name. Love me some Tom Hanks. Also, the first song performed is White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes. I personally like the Pentatonix cover.


	34. Singin' The Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KINDNESS Timeline Part Two
> 
> Months pass as you and Undyne grow closer. However, not every story comes to a happy end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Welcome back! Writer's block can be quite a pain in the ass, and with so many things happening in the real world I just couldn't get the energy to make anything. Decided to cut down these mini-episodes to just two chapters so we can get to the main story a bit faster.
> 
> Enjoy!

It's been three months since you met your Soulmate at Grillby's bar, and those months had been some of the most tiring experiences of your life. You were forced into working out with the fish monster every other day alongside her best friend Papyrus, on top of your usual duties as a music teacher at Queen Toriel's new Academy for Humans and Monsters.

But it was all worth it.

You lost a ton of weight, and felt a million times healthier than you had ever felt before. You had great friends, and the children who took your music lessons really gave it their all. Even the adults who took private tutoring were doing rather well. You were so happy to prove your old friends wrong.

It had taken some time, but you had finally decided to move in with Undyne after a month of dating. The arrangement was.. awkward at first. They had to share a single bed, and even though both Souls resonated at this, neither individual was ready for anything past hand holding and the occasional cuddle on the couch.

It was fine though. Undyne respected your wishes in that regard, even though she thought you were a  _total nerd_ for wanting your space.

You had met all of the fish monster's friends at that point. The Canine Unit of Snowdin, giant fluffy dogs who played cards every week at the bar, were always a joy to chat with. King Asgore made wonderful tasting tea, but outside of the occasional full-group get together, you didn't see him much. His ex, Toriel, was your boss. You saw her almost every day, along with the Ambassador, Frisk.

The one monster you didn't quite get to meet was Undyne's ex, Doctor Alphys. She would always claim to be 'too busy' with whatever project she had been working on, but you knew better. She was avoiding both you and Undyne, and your Soulmate was starting to get frustrated.

That's why, on that rather warm January day, the two of you decided to have a movie day with the entire crew, Alphys included. You were going to pick up the doctor at her apartment and meet everyone else at the theater.

* * *

Undyne's fist pounded on the door in her usual exuberant manner, her eye trying to peek through the peephole normally meant to be used from the other side.

"Alphys! It's me! Come on, no more hidin' in here! The gang all miss ya, and we even picked out a nerdy flick that you'd like!" she hollers, jiggling the door handle. She was shocked that the door opened without any issue, having not been locked. "Alright, Alphys, your door is never unlocked if you're away. Comin' in! Gotta meet Corey and stuff before meeting with the others."

You slowly slipped into the apartment, taking note of the packages of ramen and glass bottles of soda scattered across the room haphazardly.

"Uh, Undyne? Was Alphys always this... untidy?" you ask quietly, a frown painting your face with worry.

"Not normally. I mean, yeah, she can be a little messy with paperwork but she never leaves out trash like this."

Undyne soon came to the slightly ajar bathroom door, peaking inside slowly, and nearly pulling back from shock. The inside of the bathroom was a mess. Empty pill bottles filled the sink, and black marking marred the bathroom's mirror with a single message written in small print.

_I'm trash_ it read. Undyne quickly moved away from the bathroom, hurtling towards the bedroom door, pushing it open with enough force to ruin the top hinge. There, laying on the middle of the bed, with the barely breathing lizard woman, stripped bear, sporting a multitude of self inflicted scars. She didn't respond to the fish monster's calls, didn't flinch as she was lifted up.

"COREY CALL TORIEL NOW!" she shouted, clutching the small monster to her chest. "No no no Alph, you can't do this, you can't give up!"

You had your phone in hand in less than a second, making the call. Everyone would be there in a few minutes. You just hoped that it would be fast enough.

* * *

Undyne never left her friend's side as Toriel and Papyrus tried their hardest to cleanse the doctor of all the drugs that had been coursing in her system. However, it was not to be. Alphys never fully recovered.

She fell down, and turned to dust nearly four minutes later. Undyne had held her hand for those entire four minutes, and wouldn't let go of the dust once it had settled. You tried your best to comfort your Soulmate, but there was nothing to be done. She had lost someone so close to her, so dear... and before you knew it, the fiercest woman you had ever encountered crumpled into a pile of dust as well.

Your heart, your Soul, nearly shattered at the sight. Your cries of anguish filled the building, enough to wake up a sleeping Frisk. As you sobbed and pleaded for Undyne to return, the world around you crumbled into dust. You weren't aware that you, yourself, were crumbling as well, but it was better that way.

Better to RESET now, rather than hear those cries of pain, the child thought to themselves.

* * *

Frisk sprinted out of the Ruins the moment they were done with convincing their mom to let them pass. They sprinted and sprinted until they came to the bridge. Sans was waiting for them, their bones rattling at the sight of the kid. The skeleton knew a reset had just occurred, but he couldn't remember what had happened after the barrier was shattered.

"Kiddo, what happened? I thought you were done with this! We were out! We were on the surface!"

The child sniffled, nodding their head as they wrapped their arms around the skeleton's middle. "I-I had to! A-Alphys and Undyne... they... they!"

"Hey, hey, woah... relax kiddo, relax! Slow down and tell me what happened."

Frisk told their tale, of two lovers who drifted apart. Of one half finding love, and the other destroying themselves in a fit of depression. The skeleton brushed his teeth across the child's forehead, rocking them slowly to try and calm them down. "It's okay buddy, they're here... they're safe... We just have to try again, right? Just gotta try again."

* * *

Frisk didn't make it back to the surface in that timeline. When they reached Waterfall, their encounter with Undyne was... difficult. Undyne was colder, more distant in this timeline, clearly bothered by something disturbing. She attacked Frisk as if she was Undying, and refused to allow their Soul to shift back from it's green state. She drove spear after spear after spear into the human, until they were practically pinned to the ground.

Slowly, she approached, one final spear aimed at the child's throat.

"Do you know why I do this, human?" the fish monster asks, her voice calm and calculated. "I do this because Monsters deserve to be on the surface. Monsters deserve to rule this world. And not you, nor Asgore will stop my dream from becoming a reality."

Frisk's Soul quivered with Dread, knowing that this was not the same Undyne that they had known in the previous timelines. She had been twisted by grief somehow, and it had bled into this reset.

"I'm sorry," Frisk squeaked out, trying so hard to keep their eyes open. "We tried Undyne... we tried to save her..."

The fish monster's lips curled at that last phrase, a fleeting moment of recognition filling her eye before she shook her head. "You didn't do enough, Frisk. You let her die, and then you let me die."

Frisk cried out, causing a RESET just as the spear reached their face. Their screams kept going, well past the point of being safe. They laid on the bed of flowers that marked Chara's grave, sobbing and pawing at the ground.

Flowey listened from the other room, his face twisted in shock. The stupid human never cried after a RESET before...

Not that he cared or anything.

He just sat there and waited for the sobbing to stop, then waited some more for the child to walk into the room, ready to give his normal spiel before disappearing into the ground once more.

* * *

You slowly sat up in your bed the next morning, yawning deeply as you felt over your chest. The previous night had gifted you with quite a clear picture on how things had gone with Undyne in a previous life. To end so suddenly, so horribly, it made you sick. On a whim, you snatched up your phone and dialed the fish monster's number, which she picked up in two rings.

"Hey Quinn, what're you doing up at this hour? Did something happen?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Just wanted to check up on you and Alphys. How're things out in Florida?"

"Florida is awesome!" Undyne practically shouts, causing you to pull the phone away from your ear for a moment. "Did you know that they have nude beaches out here! It's awesome! I took Alph to one the other day just to see what the fuss was all about, and people were falling over themselves trying to get pictures of us!"

You couldn't stop yourself from laughing, rubbing your eyes with your fingers. "Glad you're having fun out there. How's training coming along? They give you the okay yet?"

"Yeah! You and the rest of the gang get to see me KICK SOMEONE'S ASS in two weeks! We're doing a show in San Francisco, perfect chance to show off all of my awesome skills! Viktor said he's gonna get you all front row seats! You better show up, nerd!"

"Of course Undyne. Just... I'm glad that you and Alphys are enjoying your time out there. I'm glad you two have each other. The thought of you two ever being apart is just... unfathomable."

Always together. In life, and in death. That's how one timeline had ended. But now? Now they were going to live. Live, grow, have cute little lizard-fish hybrids, and join each other in dust whenever they felt they have had their fill of this mortal realm.

The green glow of your Soul finally fell dim when the phone call was over, but you could tell that KINDNESS wasn't gone. No, that was still there. Still part of your memory, still part of who you were. But with the message fully revealed, with the story fully told, Corey had finally been laid to rest.

You smile softly, leaning back on the sofa as you glanced at the ceiling fan.

KINDNESS and JOY danced together in harmony, waiting for the next TRAIT to step forward. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sad day for everyone as the timeline is RESET, but do not fear! This was but one of six timelines that we will be exploring for the time being! Up next, we're back to the 'Real' timeline as Undyne makes her debut!


	35. Takeover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Undyne both make your in ring debuts! Will the Captain of the Royal Guard stand tall? Will your leg hold up under pressure?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone! Sorry for the delays again, gonna be more consistent with the new year, hopefully.

Two weeks had passed since the late night phone call, and you were helping Toriel and Frisk get settled into their seats in the front row. You had decided to get everyone situated a few hours before the doors were supposed to be open, just in case.

"Quinn, dear, you didn't need to get us to our seats this early! We could have waited like everyone else!" the goat monster said, trying her best to keep a stern look on her face and failing terribly.

"Nah, I just wanted you and Frisk to have the best seats in the house. I should get backstage and help Undyne with her prep work. Keep Alph's seat reserved though, okay? She should have a front row seat as well. I'll see ya after the show's done love." You lean over the barricade, giving your Soulmate a quick kiss on the lips before reaching over to fluff up Frisk's hair. They had decided to wear a simple blue shirt and dark jeans, with a dark red hoodie jacket and black fluffy hood.

It had been a gift from Sans, apparently. The thought made you smile.

Asriel wasn't comfortable going to the event after learning there would be pyrotechnics and loud music involved. Sans, thankfully, stepped in to babysit. Frisk had been a little disappointed in the smaller goat monster, but didn't make a fuss out of it. It was still a family event, and everyone present was going to have fun.

You turn away from your group and make your way up the entrance ramp, pulling back the curtain and stepping down the stairs. The other wrestlers were starting to trickle in, getting dressed and working out any last minute adjustments to their plans. Undyne and Alphys were off in their own little corner, lacing up the left boot carefully.

"Lookin' good, ladies. Tori and Frisk have a seat for you in the front row when you're ready, Alph. Should probably go get it before doors open up. This crowd tends to get a lot more rowdy than others." Alphys jumped slightly at your words, but nodded her head and smiled up at you before hurrying towards the nearby exit to take her seat. Once the little lady was out of the way, you turned your attention to the fish monster, tilting your head. "Ready for the big match tonight?"

Undyne's grin grew wide as she stood up, flexing every muscle she possibly could. "Are you kidding me? I'm ALWAYS ready! Look at me! I'm a BEAST!" Her eye flared bright with joy as she showed off her gear. Rather than wearing formfitting tights, she instead opted for loose fitting shorts that reached just below mid thigh. They were bright red, the same color as her hair, with the delta rune embedded on the left leg, and a diamond of spears on the right. A red sports bra, a single red elbow pad, red boots and knee pads, and a white fitted eyepatch (so it hopefully doesn't get yanked off on accident) finished off the look.

"Yep, she's a beast alright," said Viktor, smirking at the two of you as he leans against a nearby wall. He was dressed in a dark brown suit, his hair slightly damp. Clearly just got done with one of the hairdressers.

"Hey Vik," you reply, turning to face him. "Am I on for tonight or do I get to watch with Tori?"

"Newp, you're on before the main event. Surprise opponent and all that. Should go get dressed though."

You nod, giving one last thumb's up to your friends before making your way into one of the changing rooms, spotting your gear in a locker nearby. A small tear fills your eye when you see the black and silver singlet you were to wear tonight. The same singlet you wore all of those years ago.

Seven years.

Seven years, and you were finally able to stand on two feet.

Seven years, and your dream was able to come true once more.

* * *

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall! The winner will receive a Women's Championship match in three weeks time!"

The crowd erupted with cheers as the ring announcer made her first speech of the night. The first competitor's music began, and older veteran of the ring hop-skipping down to the ring with a bright smile on her face. Everyone was happy to see her in the ring. No one was expecting who would be coming out of the curtain next.

You gently pat Undyne's shoulders, giving her a thumb's up as the light's died down. Then, suddenly, the music flairs to life. Five seconds later, she leaps onto the entrance ramp, spotlight on her form. Alphys stared on in awe, claws covering her lips to suppress her squeals of joy. Toriel and Frisk hollered and cheered for the Captain as she made her mad dash to the ring. You watched via a tiny TV monitor next to the curtain as she circled around the ring, gazing at the fans in the front row before hopping up onto the ring apron. With grace only the fish monster could muster, she hops up to the top turnbuckle, drawing a spear out and posing, her eye closed. Deep in thought.

Once she was done with her dramatics, she leaped down into the ring, spear fading to nothing as she stands across from the other competitor. Both women eyed each other, but it was clear that Undyne's size and shape made the human in the ring a tad nervous. 

The bell rings.

Undyne wastes no time, charging forward as she drives her shoulder right into the woman's stomach in a devastating Spear of Justice. A cover. A three count. And the match is over.

Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard, wins her debut match in less than ten seconds.

The crowd is stunned shocked. What did they just watch? Slowly but surely, the crowd cheered and sang along to Undyne's theme song, actually accepting the monster as one of their own.

A rather good sign for everyone involved, that's for sure.

* * *

Papyrus hooted and cheered loudly as he watched Undyne's victory from his phone. Mr. Braxton was busy cooking dinner for the household, having no real interest in the whole 'wrestling' thing.

"I take it that Undyne won her match?" he asked, quickly turning on one of the burners so he could get started on preparing the sloppy joe's Asriel had been curious to try.

"Why yes she did! Nyeh! So powerful was her tackle that her human opposition crumbled before her!"

The man couldn't help but shake his head, clearly pleased that his Soulmate was enjoying himself.

* * *

The matches continued for another hour before it was time for you to step out through the curtain for your own debut match. Undyne gave your own back a (hard) pat of encouragement as one of the company's top heels worked over the crowd. He talked about how no one would be stupid enough to stand in the same ring with him. That no one would be able to come close to matching his skill.

Then the light's dimmed.

Slowly, softly, a music box tinkled on. A smooth melody of sounds that grew stronger, stronger, until finally it died off. Only for it to surge up once more with heavier instruments. You step out, the stunned reaction of the crowd forcing you to smile. Alphys had done such a good job with your new leg. Everything was spot on. Nothing looked fake with the new limb. Perfect.

Your singlet was the same as it had been during the Baron's Brawl event, with one minor addition. A small delta rune sewn in next to where his heart, his Soul resided. A small nod to a people he would give anything to protect in the real world.

You stepped into the ring with a giant smile and brilliant green eyes, waiting for the crowd to finally stop chanting before picking up the second microphone.

"Well god damn if it isn't good to be standing in a ring again," you start, smiling wide as you gaze around the arena. "To be fair though, I never thought I'd get to stand in a ring belonging to the biggest promotion in the world today. Nor did I think I'd be standing in a ring the same night that a tough as nails monster won her first ever match." The crowd pop for the mention, but you continue on as if nothing had happened.

"As far as I can tell, you don't have anyone to fight right now,  yes? You've done it all? Well, bud, I think it's time you took on someone new and exciting, huh?"

You drop the microphone, dropping down into an amateur wrestling stance. The heel, knowing his role in the matter, quickly books it to the outside, pacing back and forth while a referee leaps to action, sliding under the bottom rope and getting in position to start officiating the match.

The heel gets back into the ring, looking as grumpy as ever. The bell rings.

Showtime.

* * *

Sans dumped quite a bit of ketchup onto his sloppy joe, his grin wide as he catches sight of Frisk and Toriel on the screen. His Soul hummed, very thankful that the kid seemed to be having a great time. Asriel couldn't help but bounce in his seat, having already finished his dinner with the others earlier.

"Can't wait to see Quinn win!"

"Heh, same kid. I just know he'll do a great job out there.

Asriel doesn't reply, too absorbed into the show to hear the skeleton laugh once more.

* * *

The match was brutal, lasting well over half an hour. But it was worth it. Especially as your foot connects the heel's chin, allowing you to get a pinfall victory. You rise to your feet, the ref quickly raising your hand before you celebrate by climbing onto the middle rope, throwing up your hands. Your eyes meet Toriel's, your Soul singing with joy as she claps her hands. You did it. You shared a special moment with your Soulmate and your adopted child.

Your Soul hummed with JOY.

When you finally made your way up the ramp, the entire locker room of wrestlers were waiting for you, clapping and smiling. Viktor stepped forward, rubbing your sweaty shoulders.

"One step closer to your title match, friend!"

"One step closer indeed Viktor! Ugh, half an hour though? Really?"

The blond couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. "Hey now, at least you didn't get too gassed out until the 28 minute mark. Proved to everyone here and everyone at home watching that you were in good enough shape to compete, even after seven years MIA."

"Eh, I just tried really hard. Can't put on a bad show for Tori and Frisk, ya know?"

Everyone just laughed and nodded their head before going back to their previous tasks. There was still a main event match that had to be put on.

And you probably just stole the show.

You made a mental note to apologize to the main event players later.

* * *

Asgore sighed softly as he took a seat at the table, cup of tea held carefully in his large hands. He gazed at the rising moon, his thoughts drifting towards what an interesting past few months he had gone through. From gardening in his throne room, to nearly losing his crown AND his freedom at the hands of his ex wife, to seeing the surface once again. 

And then he met Meghan Thomason. His very Soul fluttered just at the thought of the beautiful young lady and her dark blue Soul. She had been such an asset in helping monsters receive proper I.D. All while trying to finish her own college classes on the side. He sipped at his tea, humming faintly as the door to the shared apartment creaked open.

"I'm home, Asgore! Had to help a Froggit reach the top shelf at the store. Poor guy wanted those peanuts really badly apparently."

"Welcome home Meghan! It's good that you were able to help them out. There's tea in the kitchen if you'd like some."

"Alrighty, I'll grab some. Think we have time for a history lesson before bed?"

The old monster chuckled faintly, nodding his head as he leans back in the seat. Just a bit too far. The faint snapping of wood was his only warning as the chair collapsed, causing him to almost drop the teacup. The human quickly rushed to the old goat's side, her eyes wide. "Asgore!"

"I'm fine love, I'm fine! Goodness I need to stop doing this... it's the third chair this month."

Meghan shook her head and held out a hand to her Soulmate, quickly pulling him away from the chair's remains. "Let's take our tea to the recliners, yes? If you're gonna fall asleep mid-session again you might as well do it in a chair that can actually support your full weight!"

Asgore, with a hearty laugh, followed after his newly found friend and lover, resting a hand on her shoulder. A cup of tea and some history about monsters was always a great way to end an evening.

 

 

 

 


	36. Skeleton Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Segoe hasn't been sitting in a dark room in complete silence. She's been out and about, partaking in her new life on the surface. This is but one day in the life of the last living female skeleton monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hello there. Did you think I forgot about my precious little Segoe? Of course not! She's just been having fun while everyone else has been worried about BORING things like Souls and wrestling events!
> 
> But Segoe isn't the only Skeleton to have something fun and interesting happen!

Segoe never understood why everyone was so concerned about her being on the surface. Sure, the last time she was up here she had a chunk of her skull caved in. Sure, she was a skeleton, something that humans tend to fear and shy away from. But she was Segoe! She was hip! She was cool!

Segoe needed to go find out what cool women did.

That's how the one-eyed skeleton found herself sitting at a bus stop early in the morning, ready to start her day of exploration. She dressed in her simple black robes, wanting comfort over style. She hummed a soft tune to herself as she waited for the bus to rumble by, and because of the delay, she was able to look around.

Everything was so vastly different. When she was last in this spot, it had been a simple grassy field dotted with the occasional farm. Now, it was a sprawling city. Everyone was so busy in their cars or bikes, zipping to and fro. It made her skull spin.

"Woah, check it out! That monster's the grim reaper or somethin'!" someone to her left shouts out, causing her to snap out of her reflective state. She gave a small smile, her single eyelight growing bright.

"Tra la la, I am the Riverwoman, not the grim reaper. The grim reaper was my father." Her smile turned playful as the teenager and his two friends jumped at the reply. She gave a small laugh, shaking her head. "Just kidding, children. Do not worry, I get that quite a bit."

The leader of the group chuckled, nodding his head. His hat nearly slid off his head in the process. "Awesome. Riverperson, huh? Headin' out of town to the lake then?"

"Oh no no, to the mall actually! I wanted to explore the stores, possibly learn more about what is 'hip' up here."

One of the other teens, a girl with piercings in her nose and lip, rolled her eyes. "God you sound like my grandma. At least you're trying to be cool."

Segoe scoffed, shaking her head. "Oh, please. I may talk like an old woman, but that's because old habits die hard. Being alive long before the war does that to a monster."

The teens practically pounced at the cloaked skeleton, their eyes wide as saucers. "You've been alive since before the Barrier?! Is that why-"

"Yes, that is why," she cuts them off, a faint blush forming on her cheek. "War hammer to the face when I was guiding my son into the mountain. Nearly dusted, but that is of no consequence now."

The shyest of the teens finally spoke up, rubbing the back of his head as he speaks. "Have you ever thought of wearing some sort of covering? Over the exposed portion of the skull I mean. Doesn't it hurt in colder weather with it all exposed like that?"

"Skeleton monsters do not actually feel 'hot' or 'cold' the same way others do. We KNOW if the area around us is cold or hot, but we don't exactly need covering. For the first 400 years or so I had to keep my skull wrapped up to stop magic from bleeding out, but once I was fully healed, it was no longer a concern." Segoe closes her eye, humming softly. "And yes, I can still see through the other 'eye' without manifesting an eyelight. Eyelights were only a thing for skeleton monsters to help others understand and read our expression better."

She opens her eye once again, revealing an empty void. "Most people tend to 'freak out' as the kids say when we don't manifest them."

All three teenagers recoiled at the sudden lack of a lighted pupil, causing the lady skeleton to fall into a fit of giggles on the bench. Sadly, the exchange ended as the bus arrived.

"Well, I must be off, tra la la~"

"Bye, lady! Hope to see ya around sometime!" the leader called out, tugging on his friend's shirts to head off on their way.

"Such lovely humans," she sighed to herself, quickly slipping in the exact change for the bus trip to the mall.

* * *

Segoe's shopping trip was a success. She returned with nearly twenty bags of new clothes, shoes, puzzles, and various other things to put around her shared home with Mr. Braxton. Using magic, she sorted through everything she acquired, setting everything neatly in piles before manually hanging up her new clothes. As much as she loved dressing the part, she needed something other then black robes to get her by.

Dresses, collared shirts with appropriate dress pants, t-shirts with floral designs, jeans, everything she could think of. The store clerks working the various shops were surprised at just how much she was buying. She explained that, in the Underground, her job only had one uniform, and she did that job almost every hour of every day. There were no breaks for the Riverperson.

Once clothes and shoes were sorted away, Segoe sat down on the couch with one of her new puzzle books. Number puzzles were somewhat new to her, so this 'Sudoku' book seemed like an excellent challenge. She also flipped on the television, turning the volume low so it could serve as background noise. She peaked up every now and then to see what was actually happening, smiling softly at the sight of Asgore and his new Soulmate speak of how close they were to getting everyone their papers.

The Underground was almost empty.

The door suddenly opened, causing the old skeleton to quickly snap her head back to look at the entryway. At the sight of a very exhausted Mr. Braxton, however, she relaxed, turning back to her puzzles.

"Did the little babybones work you into an early grave, dear?" Segoe called out, quickly filling out several boxes of her puzzle.

"You do realize that the 'babybones' as you call him is the largest of your clan, my dear?" Braxton called out, his voice quivering. Even after all this time, Papyrus did not have a 'slow down' switch. Not even for his Soulmate.

"Oh I know, but he is still my babybones. Precious, precious little grandchild. Has the training been good for you? I knew you were fit, but he doesn't exactly go easy..."

"Oh, it has been most excellent. Especially after we.. discovered something."

This made Segoe close the book, setting it aside. She glanced quickly at the human's chest, her eye growing wide in the process. "Mr. Braxton... what have you and Papyrus done?"

He raised his hands defensively, taking a seat across from the skeleton. "We haven't done anything. Not really. But today, during training, one of his bones got very close. I was tired, and he didn't have enough time to call off the attack. But I just sort of swung my arm forward... and this appeared." With a small flourish of his wrist, he called forth an orange colored tessen. He opens it, revealing intricate bone patterns in the webbing of the fan itself.

Segoe's jaw nearly dislocated with how far it dropped, her Soul hammering heavily in her chest. "My goodness, I haven't seen that in ages! Does anyone else know of this?"

"No, only Papyrus was there when it happened. Should we talk to someone about this?" Mr. Braxton quickly put the fan away, clearly concerned by his friend's reaction.

She quickly rose to her feet, nodding her head. "We must speak with Toriel about this. If Soulmate pairings start fiddling with Joined Magic, we need to tell the public about it. Joined Magic can be dangerous if used incorrectly."

* * *

You and Toriel were back home after the trip to San Francisco, thankful that the promotion didn't need you for a few months for another appearance. Frisk instantly hopped out of the car and ran towards Sans' home, hoping to tell them all about the trip.

Sans and Frisk hated being far apart from each other, it seems. The short skeleton was practically sitting on his porch, foot bouncing as he waited. You couldn't help but chuckle. Out of the corner of your eye, however, you noticed Segoe and Mr. Braxton approach, their eyes filled with worry.

"Toriel," the skeleton began. "I need to speak with you and your Soulmate. It's an urgent matter, one that none of us really thought about."

The goat monster hummed and nodded her head, guiding everyone inside. In minutes, everyone was seated at the dining room table, tea and cookies set before everyone. Store bought cookies. Not enough time to prepare a fresh patch, even for your Soulmate.

Segoe was quick and to the point. Joined Magic, a rare ability shared only between Soulmate pairings, was one of the few ways that a human was capable of using magic. It borrowed from the monster's own stores of magic, and generally projected itself as some sort of weapon. Due to most pairing's closeness, the 'shared magic' was generally just excess runoff that the monster had already shed off, so there wasn't any real risk, unless the human in question decided to use the magic almost non-stop for days at a time.

"I'll be sure to contact Asgore about this," Tori said, humming faintly as she felt over the side of her cup with a thumb. "With everything that has happened, I'm honestly not surprised that one of our group discovered this first. Mr. Braxton, I would like you and Papyrus to continue training to use your magic. Possibly in a defensive manner only, please. You may need to be the one to demonstrate this gift when called upon."

"Of course, Lady Toriel," he replied, smiling sweetly. "It might take some time, but I think I can manage it. Also... everyone seems to enjoy calling me Mr. Braxton, I noticed. I do have a first name, after all." Everyone at the table froze, including you.

"Uh... well, Frisk only told us your last name, and you hadn't ever corrected us before, so..." you stammer, clearly embarrassed.

The other human couldn't help but giggle softly, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. "Please, please it is alright! My first name is Gabriel. It was easier for me to just remove two letters from the end of my first name when I transitioned all those years ago."

Everyone at the table nodded, sipping at their tea as all tension surrounding the discussion quickly fled their shoulders. Everything was fine. Everything was going to be resolved quickly, just like all other things.

* * *

"Golly, Frisk! You and Mom looked so happy after the fight was over! I didn't think Quinn was gonna win after he got hit with that crazy flippy move!"

Asriel and Frisk were talking about the wrestling event as Sans watched on, a bright smile on his face as he went through the process of making a snack for the children in the room. A couple hot cats mixed into some mac and cheese, the perfect late lunch.

"Yeah! Undyne was so happy about her match, even if it was super short. She just charged in and tackled that other lady. Mom and I were stunned! I thought she broke that poor human."

Sans hummed softly, closing his eyes, listening the voice of his Soulmate. Everything was good. Everything was calm. This was a great life. He finally poured the food into bowls and moved into the living room, gazing at the young prince and his siblings.

"Hate to  _cat_ in, but I got you guys somethin' to eat before you head back home."

"Ugh, that was so _cheesy_ love," Frisk said before slamming a hand over their mouth. "I mean Sans! Sans, I meant to say Sans. Yup, totally."

Asriel fell onto his side in a fit of giggles at Frisk embarrassed rambling and of the skeleton's practically blue skull. "Frisk and Sansy gettin' all flustered!" the goat child howled, tears filling his eyes with how loud his was laughing.

Sans quickly turned on his heal, taking the bowls of food with him. "Nope. No food for you two. Nuh uh. Nope."

Frisk and Asriel quickly leaped up to their feet, chasing after the skeleton. "No wait come back!" "We want lunch now, I'm sorry!"

* * *

Grillby's was packed to the brim with customers that night, including a booth filled with teenagers rambling about the 'cool skeleton chick' they met at the bus stop earlier that day. The flame elemental couldn't help but smile at that. Segoe finally getting out of the house was a good thing. He had been worried that the memory of her last moments of the surface world would make her less eager to interact.

Gaster, with ease, swooped behind the bar counter and started working on preparing a couple drinks for patrons at a different part of the establishment. "There is an order for table sixteen, two baskets of fries. Mind taking care of that dear?"

"Of course, Gaster. Back in a flash."

Gaster couldn't help but smile as he finished pouring out the drinks, bringing them to the appropriate table. "Here you are, gentlemen. Don't be afraid to ask for anything else."

The two men, farmhands from just outside the city from the look of it, cracked smiles at the skeleton. "You and yer pardner in the kitchen got this place up 'n runnin' right quick! 's nice t' hava place t' relax."

The skeleton simply smiled and nodded, hands clasped behind his back. "When my partner lived Underground, his bar served as one of the only places for monsters to meet and mingle outside of the Capital. We wanted that same open atmosphere for our new establishment."

The other man cracked a smile, revealing a couple missing teeth. "Well you and yer flame did a good job. We'll be leavin' a nice big tab for ya when we finally hobble outta here."

Gaster's Soul swelled with JOY. 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tra la la. Hope you enjoyed!


	37. An Ending Of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One final round-up, accelerating through the years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter before we close the story. Writer's block is a pain, but I've finally worked past that. Read the end notes for news about the future of this particular story.

The Underground, former prison of an entire species, was finally empty. The Core was shut down, homes locked tight. Not a single froggit or moldsmol was left behind. Asgore stood alongside his Soulmate as the sun set on the final day of work. He let out a long sigh, his fingers curled gently around the smaller woman's hand.

"It is a wonderful evening. Everyone has finally stepped out of the darkness of the cavern, making their way into the world around us," he said, his free hand idly brushing through the graying fluff on his chin. He had contemplated trying to dye his beard back to its original golden yellow color, but Meghan had convinced him otherwise.

"Indeed they have, Gorey," she replied, her voice low. She moved closer to the larger, warmer body in an attempt to leach some heat, the mountain air growing much colder with the setting sun. "Ugh, I hate it when you're right. I should have brought a jacket..."

Asgore chuckled, turning and bending over to wrap his arms around the woman, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, honey. We'll be heading back home in a moment. I just wanted to enjoy this sight one last time. I doubt I'll be back here any time soon."

Meghan nodded and returned the kiss with one of her own, brushing her fingers along the floppy ears of her Soulmate. "Alright. But we mustn't stay long. We have a meeting in the morning and a press conference at noon about Joined Magic. And I am not going to try and lug you off of the bed like last week, you nearly drove your horns into my beautiful carpet!"

The sound of the goat monster's laughter could be heard for miles around the mountain.

* * *

Gaster and Grillby quietly slipped into bed, arms wrapped around each other the moment they were under the sheets. It had been another long day at the restaurant, busy but satisfying. That evening, however, was to be a very serious one for the couple. No kinky talk, no work discussions, nothing but the two of them and their future.

"I would like to try, Grillby," Gaster said, his cheeks dusted purple. "I want to try for a child together."

The fire elemental chuckled faintly, leaning forward to brush his lips along the top of his partner's skull. "It would be nice to finally have that chance, Gaster. Seeing as you sacrificed so much just to continue your line before." Grillby took each of the skeleton's hands, his thumbs circling the holes resting in each palm.

"Heh, yeah. No more physical dismemberment for the sake of saving my species. Sounds like a plan."

Gaster and Grillby cuddled in closer together, their hands still intertwined, each Monster's Soul slowly hovering above them. The edges brushing against each other. It would be a long evening for the couple, but if fate was on their side... everything would work out.

* * *

Papyrus and Gabriel's wedding anniversary came and went. The pair had finally moved away from the Ebott Street home, settling down in Texas. Their home was small, but their yard was grand. Each of them had a favorite space-Papyrus had built a mini race track of sorts so he could play with his various cars and bikes, while Gabriel had a small scattering of crops he had planted. With the skeleton improving with each passing year, it was great to have new and exciting foods to cook with.

"GAB!" Papyrus shouted from the house, his Soulmate busy digging out a pesky weed.

"Yeah Pap?" the human called back, brushing stray hair out of his face. He needed to get a haircut at some point, but Papyrus always insisted on playing with it. Maybe a couple more weeks would be fine.

"I just got a call from Toriel! She said she wished us a happy anniversary and also that Frisk and Sans will be here in a few days! Apparently they're going around the country to visit all of their friends. I'm so excited! I haven't seen Frisk since they graduated college!"

"Shoot, if they're coming here we need to get workin' on the guest room huh? You think they're finally getting hitched?"

Papyrus smiled brightly, nodding his head. "Of course they are! Even if my brother is a lazybones, him and Frisk are like two pieces of a puzzle! He always puts out the effort for his Soulmate!" 

Gabriel hummed and nodded, carefully drawing out his magic fan to help dig out the weed, tossing it to the side once it was finally out. "Alright. Why don't you go ahead and order us a pizza and I'll get started on cleaning up the room."

The skeleton gave a quick salute and an audible wink before hurrying back inside. The human's Soul swelled with happiness at the sight. This is why he married him. He was just too adorable for this world.

* * *

Alphys held onto her wife's hand tightly, her eyes filled to the brim with worry.

"Undyne, I know you said you wanted to carry this time but..."

The fish monster quickly shushed the lizard with a kiss, her eyes bright with Determination.

"You did the hard stuff for our daughter last time, Alphie. I can handle this one. I'm UNDYNE! Captain of the Royal Guard!"

The nurse, who was staring at the couple with wide eyes, finally snapped out of her mini panic from the volume of the large, shark toothed monster before her. "The doctor is on their way, ladies. Gonna have to wheel you into the next room, and you will have to wait out here. I'm sorry. Too many births happening at once, having to use a smaller room than usual."

Alphys shivered as her Soulmate was guided into the temporary delivery room, quickly pulling out her phone to try and distract herself. Everything was going to be okay! Everything had been fine when she had given birth a couple years ago, their daughter was perfectly healthy. Undyne was stronger than she was, so it'd be even easier for her! 

Right?

An hour later, and the timid monster was finally let in, her feet carrying her to her Soulmate's side. In the strong arms of the blue scaled monster was a baby boy. His own scales were a nice sea-foam green in color, and he had his mother's ear fins. Alphys leaned down, pressing her lips to the baby's forehead, worry practically evaporated.

"Hey there little guy. I'm your Momma, Alphys. Your sister is going to be so happy to meet you!"

"Yeah! Little Koi is gonna love ya!"

The door suddenly burst open as the aforementioned little girl came rushing into the room, followed close behind by Viktor. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. "Couldn't keep your little Princess waiting. You monsters and your crazy aging..."

Koi, named as such due to her coloration of orange and white (a shock to Alphys at the time until Undyne explained her family lineage in full), practically leaped over her mother to get a good view of her baby brother. She reached out with a small hand, flashing a classic Undyne level grin.

The little boy looked at the extended hand, grasping it in both of his own, cooing faintly. The adults sighed in relief. Viktor pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture, sending it to the rest of the Monster family.

"I'll leave you four alone for now. Gotta take care of some stuff. And Undyne? Get back into fightin' shape as quickly as possible, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she mutters, holding her children close. "I'll get to it eventually. Family first right now. Isn't that right, Koi?"

The little girl nodded and gave a thumbs up, earning herself a small pat on the head.

The human chuckled as he slipped out of the room, chuckling as his phone blew up with responses to the picture.

* * *

You and Toriel were sitting on the back porch, enjoying freshly brewed tea in the late fall evening. The two of you had spent nearly three decades together, but it wouldn't have seemed like it visually. Neither of you had seemed to age a day since your wedding, as you both decided to keep going forward with life. You weren't quite ready for kids yet, but with Asriel settling down in New York, things seemed to come to a head.

"Quinn," Tori started, her eyes drifting towards the first stars to light the sky. "It is a beautiful evening, is it not?"

You couldn't help but smile, gazing over at your Soulmate. "Not as beautiful as you, dear. Something on your mind?"

"Not really. It's just... I wanted you to know that I am happy. That I am content the way we are. You finally retired, everyone is out of the house. It's just us. I'm... I think I'll be ready to try for children in a couple years, but for now... I'd like to just enjoy this time. No children, no noise. Just each other."

You hummed faintly and nodded in agreement, reaching out to pat your lover's arm. "Hey, it's no big deal. Alphys and Undyne just had their second kid, Pap and Gab are thinking of adopting at some point. Segoe's finally found someone to spend more time with. Frisk and Sans are doing their big world tour thing... speaking of, have they told you where their last destination is? Or when they're coming back?"

Toriel stopped to think for a moment, shaking her head. "Not really. They said that they really wanted to see it all, and not to expect them back any time soon. Very odd, seeing as that was almost a year ago."

You sighed, leaning back in your chair, gazing at the stars.

"As long as they have each other, I think they'll be just fine, Tori."

* * *

Sans and Frisk walked down the golden corridor, home to lifetimes worth of Judgements and bloodshed. The last stop on their tour of the world. Back to where it all began.

Frisk was slightly nervous to be back in this hall, but thanks to Sans' shortcuts, they made their way through rather quickly. They stopped by various places, including the statue in Waterfall, still playing it's song. Sans took a quick break from teleporting at his old sentry station in Snowdin, brushing his phalanges across the snow covered counter.

"You know, sweetheart, we don't have to do this if you don't wanna. We could go back, livin' in our house next to your mom and Quinn."

Frisk smiled sadly, shaking their head. "No, Sans. You and I both want this. We've been around far longer than either of us deserve. It's time we've moved on. For good."

Sans the skeleton chuckled softly, wrapping his hand around his Soulmate's. They stepped away from the sentry post, moving through the Ruins. Puzzles long since deactivated, the journey to the end, or for Frisk all of those years ago, the Beginning, was over far too soon for either Soul. Frisk and Sans both took a final look at the small hint plaque, reading the words to themselves.

Only The Fearless May Proceed.

Brave Ones.

Foolish Ones.

Both Walk Not The Middle Road.

Two more rooms, and they finally arrived to Chara's grave. The flowers still not dead after all of these centuries. Both Human and Monster laid down on the raised hill, gazing up at the stars through the hole at the top.

"Wow. You sure did make a grand entrance back then, huh?" Sans said, his hand not letting go of the soft flesh of his closest companion.

"Yeah. Especially this Reset. I couldn't believe someone actually followed me. I'm glad they did though."

Frisk squeezed the skeleton tight, tears starting to trail down their cheek. They were ready. Sans was ready.

"Sans?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"I love you so much. I'm sorry for making your life so painful. I'm sorry for making you lose so much hope before."

"Frisk, it's okay... Seriously, it's okay. It's over now. And I love you too. Just... just relax and watch the stars with me, alright?"

With that, the couple gazed up at the stars, never letting go of the other's hand.

By the time the sun rose in the morning, two small piles of dust were all that remained. Absorbed by the flowers, two new ones grew.

One red.

One blue.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read the story up to this point. I've decided to cap off the story with one last little round-up of what everyone is doing, but fear not! Only The Fearless is not truly over! I will be making a second 'story' with other events (including the rest of the Soul Trait Lives chapters that I didn't get to in the main story). 
> 
> I've had this ending in my head since the start of the story. I hope everyone who reads the story enjoys it. Sorry if the ending seemed abrupt.


End file.
